Broken Rules
by Maeniel
Summary: AU. He was a friendly stranger. They were sypathetic college students. As fate would have it, sympathy might not be enough to save him. Ch. 7&8: It starts and ends in the rain.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer_: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

_Notes_: This opening is very SHORT. In fact, it is barely anything like the story that will follow, so keep that in mind.

_Warnings_: For this chapter… none.

Onward!

Broken Rules 

            He was always searching. It was his way of life, this constant pursuit. No one ever really knew what it was that he was searching for, although many theorized when they thought he was not listening.

            "Enlightenment," suggested a retired restorer in a small-town diner as he watched the young man through the front window. A lifted arm, a cloud of dust, and the visitor was climbing into the cab of a beat-up Chevy. Kicking up gravel and dirt, the truck disappeared around the bend.

            "Is it fame?" was the question of a haughty young woman. She adjusted the shoulder strap of her thong bikini and smiled over her wine cooler at him. He tilted his head and smiled in return before turning and walking through the damp sand toward the rushing water of the Atlantic. A barefoot woman with a baby on her hip pointed to a group of children, chasing sandpipers in the sand, and the man ran to join them.

            "Love," snorted a middle-aged businessman as he stared sorrowfully down at the chiseled letters on polished marble, standing forlorn in the ground. He blinked as a flower appeared in his vision, its blood red petals drooping in the cold. Careful not to prick his fingers on the thorns, the businessman accepted the flower, laying it across the headstone cautiously. He turned to watch the stranger pause by a tree, dropping a bouquet of roses--one shy of a dozen--on the ground before continuing toward the road.

            Money... Alcohol... Adventure... Political power... A simple job... The list was endless. People who asked him were never answered. Those who offered little more than aimless conjecture were ignored. He moved on, endlessly searching.

            Until one day, when a young man and his photographer friend offered him a ride.

^_^

_Notes_: This is for anyone wondering about My Life—in the works. Due to some problems I had yesterday (yes, yesterday) that will remain between myself and those to whom it is relevant, it may be slightly past the end of this month, but I've already got a good chunk written, so please look for it if you will. ^_^ Until then, this story consists of about 6 chapters, so I'll be updating about once a week.


	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer_: See chapter one.

_Notes_: Nothing, really. Look close. See if this has anything at all to do with the prologue. *sweatdrop*

_Warnings_: Mention of homosexuality (no romance though).

Broken Rules 

            Sanosuke was bored. He could think of better ways to spend his afternoon. Rainy days were made for movies and video games, he thought. Or shopping. He would not have minded spending a day in a store expanding his collection of tee shirts. His roommate, however, had a fetish for pushing things off to the last minute. His art project was due Monday, and thus Sano was stuck outside on a rainy Saturday afternoon, his oversized umbrella doing little to keep his feet from getting soaked. Neither did the umbrella prevent the humidity from attacking the rest of him, the water seeping into his clothes and hair. His brown hair, usually an uncontrollable mop on his head, curled around his temples and eyes and he scowled and brushed it away from his forehead.

            "Katsu, my hands are turning blue," he grumbled after nearly an hour of walking in the rain. He stood in the gondola, his umbrella dripping on the concrete floor as he set it down to rub his hands together briskly. "It's cold. It's wet. Are you done?"

            Katsu usually wore his hair down, but the damp weather made it cumbersome, and he pulled it back, a cheap elastic holding it in place near his nape. He barely glanced at Sano, too busy unloading the film from his camera. Sano moved past the bench where Katsu sat, staring out at the park, gray with drizzle.

            "I don't know, Sano..." Katsu sighed, setting aside the roll and went about reloading his camera with another roll of 35mm. "None of this is doing it for me."

            "Walking in a downpour isn't doing it for me either," Sano retorted, shoving his damp hands into his jacket pockets grumpily. "You've got two rolls. Let's go."

            "Forty-eight pictures of you looking like you'd rather be anywhere else," Katsu rolled his eyes. "Half the time, you're hidden behind the umbrella. I can't even get a clear shot because I can't get this camera wet."

            "Like it's my fault you didn't plan ahead," Sano snorted.

            "I think we just need to get rid of that umbrella," Katsu mused, pausing near said object. He picked it up, absently drawing down the metal post, closing the umbrella in on itself. "If you were willing to get a little wet..."

            "You wouldn't dare," Sano frowned, eyeing the umbrella in his friend's hand.

            "If I do well on this project, I'll forever be in the prof's good graces," Katsu smirked. "Which would get me an A. And an A will get me to--"

            "Italy," Sano sighed. "I know."

            "On my parents' wallets," Katsu added. "Which is key."

            "Right. Katsu, I'm not walking in the rain. You throw that thing out there, you can go get it yourself."

            Katsu sighed and glared at his roommate irately.

            "Have you no sympathy for a starving artist?" he demanded.

            "Not one who makes me march around because he's too lazy to get off his ass and ask someone else!" Sano shot back.

            "Fine," Katsu tossed the umbrella to Sano, who in turn caught it with ease. "We'll go."

            Nodding gratefully, Sano lifted the umbrella and waited while Katsu packed away his camera and accessories. Leaning back against the wooden pillar supporting the roof of the little gondola, Sano closed his eyes and thought of warmer climates. He promised himself a cup of something warm when they got back to their apartment. Hot coffee sounded very good.

            "Let's go," Katsu suggested, shouldering his duffel and walking toward the steps. Sano held up the umbrella, and they strolled through the damp grass. The car was on the other side of the park, next to the curb by the playground, and they walked in that direction.

            Sano's car was small and old, purchased secondhand from an old friend back in his hometown. The faithful vehicle had pulled him through several summers and winters, breaking down only once in the six years since he'd gotten it. It was in good shape, if one could discount the broken shoulder strap for the driver's side seat belt, the broken back doors--one opened only from the inside while the other did not open at all--the loose headlight, and a trunk that refused to stay closed. Sano kept the trunk shut with a rope, leaving a space large enough for his hand to squeeze through to unlatch it. It worked well as long as he ignored the persistent thunking of the trunk when he was on bumpy roads.

            "Hold it, Katsu," Sano paused, then continued walking, his eyes riveted to his car. "Do you see that?"

            Katsu glanced up, squinted, then blinked.

            "There's someone by your car," he announced.

            "Some kid, it looks like," Sano grunted. "Come on. Let's go scare the brat away."

            As they drew closer, they could see the person better. It appeared to be a young woman, on her knees on the asphalt, hands on the back bumper of the car. She tilted her head, apparently attempting to see into the trunk.

            Sano scowled, opening his mouth in a sharp rebuke.

            "Hey!"

            The girl's head snapped up, eyes wide with alarm. Sano's words died in his throat. The girl's face was deathly pale, her eyes red-rimmed, lips blue-purple in the cold, matching those startled eyes nearly perfectly. Her long hair clung to her face and neck, water dripping down her skin to soak her long-sleeved tee shirt. It made a person wonder how long she had been in the rain without so much as a jacket to keep her warm.

            Then, she smiled.

            "What the--!" Katsu muttered.

            Neither did Sano know how to react. Why would a girl, who appeared to be attempting to break into his car and seemed half frozen in the rain on top of it, smile like she was pleased to meet them? Obviously there was something more to this than first was evident.

            "Is this your car?" she asked, her voice slightly husky, although if it was natural or a result of the chill was as yet a mystery.

            "...Yeah," Sano replied cautiously. "What's it to you?"

            Climbing to her feet and brushing the bits of gravel that clung insistently to her jeans, she stood straight to greet them.

            "Whoa!" Sano blurted. Katsu started beside him, fooled by the stranger's appearance as well.

            She most certainly was not a she. While all around petite in stature, the stranger had the definite build of a man. The shirt, dark with water, clung to him, revealing the narrow chest slimming down to a desperately slender waist, which followed down straight hips encased in wet denim.

            "My cat is in your trunk," the young man said, to all appearances oblivious to the shock of the two across from him. His smile grew sheepish, and he gestured vaguely to the nearby picnic shelter. "I tried to get her to the awning, but she had other ideas."

            Sano smirked, and Katsu chuckled softly, amused and perplexed at this young man who had been peering into a stranger's car.

            "I suppose we should get him out, then," Sano offered, striding forward, confident now that he understood this kid. Katsu hurried to let himself into the front passenger door, grousing about the way Sano had left him standing in the rain. He was mostly ignored, the owner of the car too busy handing the umbrella to the shorter young man to hold while he fumbled under the rim of the trunk for the rope holding it down. Fingers trailing along the damp twine, he smiled and introduced himself. "The name's Sanosuke, by the way. You are?"

            "Kenshin," the stranger replied. "I fear for whatever is in your trunk, Sanosuke. Cat has not been idle this time I've been trying to get her out."

            "Great," Sano grunted, finally slipping the knot over the metal loop keeping it in place. The trunk swung up, and they stared into the shadowed space. Bits of brown paper were shredded about, clear plastic trailing along the side. In the midst of this was a ball of gray fur. Shining yellow eyes stared up at them curiously, and just below those eyes, small white teeth propped open over a pastry much too large for that mouth. Sano glared at ruined donut. "Damn. That was my cinnamon roll. Couldn't it have eaten the flaky pastry?"

            "I apologize," Kenshin returned the umbrella to Sano and reached down, gently lifting the cat and plucking the fragment of sugary dough away. It landed on the ground, much to the dismay of the feline trapped in its master's arms. "I'll buy you another."

            "Whatever," Sano snorted. "Don't worry about it..." He glanced around, noting the distinct lack in population of the park. After all, who would be walking through the place in the rain? "What are you doing out here anyway? Shouldn't you be at home or out with your friends?"

            "Don't have those yet," Kenshin replied with a little smile, scratching the underside of the miserable cat's chin. "Thank you for your assistance, Sanosuke. I'm sorry for the trouble, right, Cat?"

            Sano scowled before realizing Kenshin was addressing the cat by that point.

            "You named the cat 'Cat'?" he asked incredulously.

            Kenshin laughed.

            "Well, I wasn't planning to keep her," he explained, walking slowly away from the car, cat in tow. "I kept calling her cat. Cat this, cat that, so that's what I call her. If you have a better suggestion, I'm always open."

            Sano smirked. "I think Cat is great. Listen... where are you going? I can give you a ride."

            Kenshin glanced over his shoulder, smiling faintly.

            "I don't know. I'll decide when I get there. But thank you."

            That elicited a frown from the brown-eyed man.

            "Do you have someplace to stay?" he wondered.

            "Not yet," Kenshin kept walking, heedless of the pathetic yowls of the cat in his arms.

            "Are you some sort of runaway?" Sano demanded.

            "Something like that," Kenshin shook his head. "See you around, Sanosuke."

            "Wait a minute!" Sano protested, jogging after him. Catching up, he slowed to match Kenshin's pace, glaring down at the boy. Kenshin blinked, looking up at the umbrella blocking the rain, then over to Sano. "You can't stay out here!"

            "It's a public park," Kenshin replied easily. "And I'm not loitering, so what's the problem?"

            "You'll freeze!" Sano growled. "Look, why don't you come with us for awhile if you've got no place else to go. You can at least warm up and wait for it to stop raining."

            "Are you sure your friend won't mind?" Kenshin countered. He stopped by the swings, where a hiking pack lay gathering puddles in the grass. Picking it up, he shook off the excess water and slung it over one shoulder.

            "Katsu won't care," Sano asserted. "Come on."

            Smiling brightly, Kenshin nodded.

            "All right."

^_^

            The car was running when they reached it, courtesy of a cold, damp Katsu. Sano handed Kenshin the umbrella and motioned to the back seat, and Kenshin climbed in while he went to close the trunk, the contents of which were now slightly soggy.

            Kenshin smiled when Cat immediately took shelter near the opposite door. The cat sat primly, glaring across the car at her wet companion while cleaning her fur with quick strokes of a rough tongue.

            Katsu glanced over his shoulder in surprise, eyeing the drowned rat in the back seat. He ignored the cat completely and smirked at the stranger.

            "We giving you a ride home?" he predicted.

            "Actually," Kenshin leaned back, staring out the window at the rain. "Your friend offered to let me stay with the two of you until this rain stopped."

            "Did he?" Katsu sighed. Kenshin smiled, glancing over to the grooming cat.

            "He seems to be in the habit of picking up strays," he murmured. "You should talk to him about that. It's dangerous."

            "You don't seem particularly concerned," Katsu noted.

            "I'm not."

            The driver's door opened, the bedraggled Sanosuke swinging into his seat before slamming the door shut again.

            "Everyone familiar with one another?" he asked with a grin. "Katsu, this is Kenshin. Kenshin, my roommate and best bud, Katsu. Kenshin needs a place to crash for awhile. That okay with you?"

            "As long as he stays clear of my dark room," Katsu grunted.

            "You're an artist?" Kenshin asked curiously.

            "Studying to be one," Katsu allowed. He studied the young man intently as Sano started the car and pulled away from the curb. He frowned. "How old are you?"

            Kenshin lifted his eyebrows in surprise. He glanced down, and Katsu followed his gaze, smirking when he saw the man's fingers tapping on his thigh in silent count.

            "Twenty-two," Kenshin replied finally.

            "You're shittin' me," Sano broke in, glancing in the rearview mirror at the man. "You don't look eighteen."

            "I get that a lot," Kenshin said pleasantly. He waggled his fingers under the cat's nose, but the animal sniffed at him, unwilling to approach someone with more water on him than the cat. Kenshin retracted his hand and looked out the window again. Katsu frowned at him, his keen eyes taking in the slight shivers rushing through the man.

            "Here," he said abruptly, struggling out of his jacket before throwing it over his seat. Kenshin caught it, nodding gratefully and wrapping it around his shoulders. "You got any dry clothes?"

            "In my bag," Kenshin confirmed. He stared up at the towering buildings, twisting in his seat to stare out the back window at the passing sky scrapers. "You live in the city?"

            "Right here," Sano said as he pulled the car into the 'contract only' lane into an underground parking ramp. "One bed and bath, kitchen, living room, and eating space."

            "Should I leave the cat outside?"

            "Nah." The car glided into parking space 547 easily. "Damn, the neighbor's back."

            "Hide the cat in the jacket," Katsu suggested, then paused. "Does it shed?"

            "It's a cat," Kenshin replied with a little smile.

            "Ah, stupid question," Katsu sighed. "Well... I can wash the coat."

            Kenshin chuckled and followed the two into the building.

^_^

            The mirror was half fogged, fan whirring in sad attempt to clear the rest of the bathroom of moisture. Wrapped in a towel, wet hair hanging in tangles down his back, Kenshin rifled through his sparse belongings until he located a brush. It was old, some of the plastic bristles missing, the rubbery handle ragged and torn to reveal its hard, plastic base.

            Frowning at the brush, Kenshin set it on the counter and pulled out his clean clothes. At the bottom of the bag, he found his wallet. It, too, had seen better days. The black leather was deteriorating, and the button no longer held it shut. Inside, there were more photos than cash, stuffed four and five deep in the clear plastic sheaths meant to display a proud man's family. None of the people on those pictures were related to Kenshin, but he kept the photographs nonetheless.

            "Hmm," Kenshin sighed, fingering through the cash in his wallet. "Good thing he didn't want that roll."

            Tossing the wallet back into his bag, he turned to his clothes. Spare jeans and a tee shirt.

            "Scratch a new brush," Kenshin muttered. "Next item on the list is a sweatshirt."

            Zipping up his jeans, he reached for the shirt and pulled it over his head.

^_^

            Sano waited impatiently as the coffee machine gurgled and hummed. Cursing the day their furnace went out and the lazy building manager who never seemed to have the time to take care of it, Sano kicked the space heater and grinned savagely when it coughed and sputtered to life.

            "Damn right," he told it. "_I'm_ the boss."

            "So you seem to think," Katsu said, walking into the kitchen dressed in a clean sweater, a lean cat trailing along behind him. He glanced at it and over to Sano. "And as the boss's advisor, I'd have to say this is not one of your more wise decisions."

            "He's a kid, Katsu," Sano grunted, finally relenting and snatching the pot from the flow of coffee and pouring some into his waiting mug. Liquid bubbled and hissed in protest as it hit the hot tray below, and Sano quickly shoved the pot back into the machine. "Cold and wet with his cat."

            "That's not a kid, Sano," Katsu replied sternly, jabbing his finger toward the hallway. They could barely hear the shower going. "You heard him. He's a year older than _you_."

            Sano shrugged carelessly, content to sip his coffee. He closed his eyes. Pure bliss.

            "You're the one who lent him your jacket," he reminded the man.

            "Offering someone warmth from the cold and offering him a place to stay are two entirely different things," Katsu snapped. "We don't know who this guy is. What if he's some fugitive?"

            "What kind of fugitive wastes time trying to rescue a cat from a stranger's car?" Sano rolled his eyes. "Look. Tomorrow, he's gone. Fair enough?"

            "Fine," Katsu agreed reluctantly. Hesitating momentarily, uncertain what to do once the argument was won, he settled for going to the cupboard. "What do you want for dinner?"

            "What's on the menu?" Sano asked in return.

            Chimes rang through the apartment, cutting off Katsu's reply, and they glanced at each other. Katsu's eyes shone with amusement while Sano's filled with a growing dread.

            "Didn't you say the neighbor was back today?" Katsu mused.

            "Damn it," Sano grunted. "She's always trying to force her cooking onto us."

            "Free food is free food, Sano," Katsu said, walking to the door. "Besides... it's rather early to have finished making dinner, don't you think?"

            "In Kaoru's world, who knows?" Sano snorted, then quickly shut his mouth because Katsu opened the door.

            "Hi all!" greeted a young woman with bright blue eyes and a cheerful smile. "I come bearing pizza."

            "Pizza?" Sano's mouth started to water at the very thought. He grinned.

            "Homemade," the woman announced, pushing into the kitchen and dropping a large tray on the table.

            "Oh... Kaoru," Sano's grin was forced. "You shouldn't have." Really, she should not have. He hoped he had stocked up on antacids. That mess of cheese and toppings looked awful.

            "Nonsense," Kaoru smiled, moving about their kitchen as if she lived there. "I wanted to. Anyway, it's sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, onions, and black olives. _Bon apetit_! Oh!"

            Her gaze caught on a fourth person in the kitchen, newly arrived with a towel in his hand. Sano glanced over, hesitating only for a moment as he saw the man. His face obscured before by darkness and wet hair, Sano had not noticed the prominent scar that ran along Kenshin's jaw and a second that crossed it, cutting a vicious path over his cheek. Sano blinked, breaking the brief spell, and smirked.

            "Hey, Kenshin," he waved the young man over. "This is Kaoru, the neighbor. Kaoru, this is Kenshin. He's crashing here tonight."

            "Hello," Kenshin murmured quietly, nodding politely to the girl.

            "Hi," Kaoru greeted with a friendly smile. "You're a friend of Sanosuke?"

            "Not really," was the surprising response. "Sanosuke was kind enough to offer me a dry place to sleep tonight. That is all."

            "O... Oh," Kaoru stammered, glancing to Sano in alarm. He just grinned and shrugged, gesturing for them to all sit at the small kitchen table. Wary of the stranger in their midst, Kaoru took her seat. Katsu was cautious as well, but more comfortable with the situation. Seemingly careless, Sano claimed his chair and lightly shoved at the last chair until Kenshin sat down across from him.

            "All right!" Sano looked down at the food, his smile finally fading. He tried not to wince. "...Let's eat."

^_^

            "So here's the question..." Kaoru's voice slurred a bit, and she giggled, reaching for her wine cooler. It was not her first bottle. "You can change one thing--just one thing--about yourself... either something you did or some trait that you hate... what would you change?"

            "My roommate," Katsu offered, earning himself a pillow in the face. "...Ow."

            "Serves you right, moron," Sano laughed. He and Katsu had both ingested a decent amount of alcohol as well. At the moment, he was feeling pleasantly tipsy. Katsu was feeling it as well, if his gauche answer was any indication. The man usually had more tact than that.

            "Well, I'd be less tomboyish," Kaoru announced, holding out her hand to the side as if displaying her nonexistent manicure. Kenshin blinked as her fingers brushed his nose, and he cautiously pushed her arm to the side. He still held his first bottle of beer, and if anyone had been paying close attention, they would have noticed that he had yet to take a drink. "Maybe then guys would go for a girl like me. What do you think, Kenshin? I can't trust these guys for a good opinion."

            "I don't know much about that kind of thing, I'm afraid," Kenshin said with a bright smile. "But I don't think you should change who you are for a guy."

            "With suave answers like that, I find it hard to believe you don't have a girlfriend," Sano laughed. "_I_, for one, have to agree with Kaoru--not that I want you to change, girl," he said quickly, as she started to scowl. "I'm talkin' about me."

            "How very cryptic," Kenshin murmured.

            "Sano thinks people would like him if he had a girlfriend," Katsu said with a sly wink. "I think people are just turned off by his boorish personality."

            "Who's the boor?!" Sano hollered. Katsu laughed, and Kaoru giggled. Kenshin looked at them curiously.

            "You wish you could change your sexual preference?" he asked finally.

            "It's damned freaky," Sano snorted. "According to everyone I know."

            "We still love you, Sanosuke!" Kaoru assured him.

            "Although not in that way," Katsu murmured.

            "I oughta punch your lights out for that," Sano grunted. "But you're too far away."

            "My lucky day."

            Kenshin laughed, tensing only slightly when Kaoru draped her arm over his shoulders, leaning in to breathe in his ear. Wincing at the smell of alcohol, his smile grew strained. Kaoru laughed.

            "Your turn!" she announced. "What would you change?"

            "I don't think I could pick just one," Kenshin replied easily.

            "Hey, freeloader," Sano stretched out his legs to rest on a beat-up coffee table, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back against the sofa cushion. "Give us a shot."

            Holding his hands up in defeat, Kenshin smiled.

            "Very well. I wish I was taller," he declared.

            "That's weak," Sano scoffed.

            Shrugging carelessly, Kenshin just gestured to Katsu, "And saying he wanted a new roommate wasn't?"

            "We all already know what Katsu would change," Kaoru said, her voice a little too loud. The guys looked at her, all knowing she would be asleep within the hour. "He'd have chased that girl--what was her name again?--anyway!" Kaoru grinned at Kenshin, who leaned back a bit, uncertain how to quiet this drunken woman. "_He_ loved her, and he let her get away."

            "I'm sure he had his reasons," Kenshin murmured anxiously.

            "Damn right," Sano offered. "And now you know our deep, dark desires, Kenshin. You gotta come up with something better."

            Smiling brightly, Kenshin offered a helpless shrug. A soft snort rumbled in his ear, and he blinked in surprise.

            "Perhaps that will have to wait," he glanced to where Kaoru had fallen asleep, her head on his shoulder. "Should we put her in bed?"

            Snickering in amusement, Sano lumbered to his feet to relieve Kenshin of Kaoru's dead weight. Kenshin waved him off.

            "You're so drunk, you're liable to drop her," he said lightly.

            "Who's gonna carry 'er?" Sano grinned. "You?"

            Kenshin glanced at the girl leaning heavily against him and shrugged. A slight shift had his arms under her knees and against her back, and he stood, easily bearing her weight. Sano and Katsu just blinked dumbly.

            "He actually did it," Katsu muttered. "Kaoru's pretty heavy, too."

            "She's a little heavier than I expected," Kenshin agreed with an artless grin. "I expect she works out. Now... where should I put her?"

            "Put her?" Sano echoed blankly. His eyes widened. "Oh! Uh... her room. Across the hall."

            "Lead the way," Kenshin suggested. He followed Sano out of the apartment and across the hall to Kaoru's.

^_^

            The shirt was too big. It was to be expected of borrowed clothing. The shirt--a blue plaid, button-down thing that was too large for its owner--had seen better days. It was frayed around the hem and cuffs (which had to be rolled up several times to accommodate for his shorter arms), and was faded from years of use.

            The condition of the shirt was not an issue. Not remotely. The quality of the shirt was also to be expected. The unexpected part of the situation was the clothing itself.

            Wind, cool and damp from the day's rainstorm, washed over him comfortingly. Leaning against the metal rail, he stared down the stack of terraces, and far below, the concrete sidewalk.

            "Seventeen stories," he murmured, soft voice carried away by the breeze. "And each a different tale..."

            It was never the same. Each place held a different person, each person a different life filled with different needs, desires, and demands. He accepted them, understanding that he could not change them. As much as he wanted to, people were notoriously stubborn in clinging to their ways.

            Never, in the years he had been running, had anyone offered so many things without asking for anything in return.

            The soft mewling of a cat, a gentle pressure against his leg, and he lifted his head. Gripping the rail, pushing himself back onto the terrace, he slowly lowered himself to rest his knees against the concrete platform.

            "Even you, Cat," he sighed, twisting, sitting and folding his legs before him. Cat crawled into his lap and curled up contentedly. "Would you stay with me if I did not feed you?"

            Leaning back on his hands, he let his head fall with the movement, eyes closing in the illusion of relaxation.

            "Hey."

            Eyelids fluttering, opening to stare blankly at the face staring down at him, he found himself smiling.

            "Hey," he replied.

            "Got the blanket," Sano announced. For someone with so much alcohol in his system, he was remarkably clear-eyed. His words did not slur in the slightest, although his friend had drunk nearly the same amount and reeled off to bed twenty minutes ago. "You gonna sleep on the couch or do you want me to bring the sheet out here?"

            Chuckling softly, Kenshin lifted the cat from his lap and held up his hand. Sano grinned and gripped his wrist, easily dragging the smaller man to his feet.

            "Hmmm," Kenshin sighed. "Wouldn't want to get into a fist fight with you."

            "Been in many of those?" Sano wondered, smirking and gesturing to the shirt Kenshin wore. "Looks good on you."

            "It's a little big," Kenshin replied easily. "And no. I avoid getting into such fights."

            "You're pretty small," Sano agreed. "I bet you couldn't bruise me."

            "There are other ways to fight than with your fists," was the elusive reply. Walking to the couch, Kenshin lifted the blanket and rubbed the soft cotton between his fingers contemplatively. "Thank you."

            "Yeah," Sano shrugged, heading down the hall to the bedrooms. He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. "Don't be surprised if you wake up to a camera in your face tomorrow."

            "He was serious?"

            "Katsu never jokes about art," Sano shook his head and continued walking. "Drunk or not. You don't like it, just say so. I'll make sure he keeps that photo lens behind the cap."

            Kenshin frowned, watching Sano disappear through a doorway. Sitting on the couch, he bunched the blanket in his lap, fingers crushing the soft fleece. Cat landed lightly next to him, rubbing against his arm hopefully. Relenting, he swung his legs up and rested back against the pillow.

            "What do you think, Cat?" he murmured. "Odd people."

_Notes_: Slightly more modern twist on things. And no Gohei. (What a tragedy)

Thank you to those who reviewed. Most of your questions should have been answered in this chapter (at least those that I want answered). To Bama, who must have read my profile awhile ago, I have not given up writing. Far from it. I love to write, and you would have to rip the keyboard from my fingers to get me to stop. Then I would take to pencil and paper. I meant I was wandering from RK fiction, but my interest has recently been renewed. I'm a bit flighty in that way.


	3. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer_: See chapter one.

_Notes_: Already questions about whether or not this will be K/K or S/K. I suppose with my affinity to shounen ai, I should expect those questions. So um… no comment? Honestly, this story isn't about love. I considered it when I was first writing, but it transformed into something else entirely. Focusing on romance would only detract from it. If you want a hint about what it's really about, you'll have to refer back to the prologue and… *peeks ahead* chapter four. 

_Warnings_: None. This chapter barely pushes the PG rating.

Onward!

Broken Rules 

            Katsu was too hung over to even consider rising before noon. Sano was inclined to sleep in as well, squinting enviously at the figure on the bed across the room from him. His own head was informing him of his excessive drinking, and he moaned softly, rolling over, praying he would drift away again.

            _Look. Tomorrow, he's gone. Fair enough?_

            There was a strange man sleeping on his couch. Recalling the kid they had picked up the previous afternoon, Sano opened his eyes again. Curiosity had him dragging himself out of bed, shuffling over to his dresser and pulling on a tee shirt and a pair of jeans, both of which had seen better days. He needed to do some clothes shopping, but he was currently between jobs and loathed the thought of asking his parents for money, and thus he suffered the frayed seams of the denim pants.

            A quick trip to the john relieved him of the last remnants of the previous night's drinking. Glancing at the bag on the floor, he observed that Kenshin had yet to leave. He itched to snoop through the contents of that ragged backpack, but he sighed and walked away, into the main room.

            Kenshin was already awake, the blanket folded neatly and draped over the back of the couch. A cursory search found Sano in the kitchen, watching in amusement as Kenshin tempted Cat with cold bits of Kaoru's pizza. (The girl had insisted they keep it, and thus it became one of the many refrigerated substances that would remain in the cooling box until the guilt faded to the point where Sano or Katsu could throw it out.) It appeared that Cat was no more interested in the pizza than the men had been. Even Kenshin had eaten only a few bites, and Sano thought he looked like he could eat more.

            "We've got a can of tuna in the cupboard," he offered, and Kenshin looked up in surprise. Grinning sheepishly, thinking the redhead had been startled by his sudden appearance, he continued. "It's kind of old... no one here eats it... so if you want to give it to the cat--"

            "Thank you," Kenshin stood, dropping the pizza slice in the trash under the sink. "I guess Cat doesn't like pizza."

            "No one likes Kaoru's cooking," Sano assured him, hunting through cupboard after cupboard. He hated cooking and rarely used anything in the cupboards. He knew where the glasses, plates and silverware were stored, but beyond that, he only used the refrigerator. "Here."

            Locating the tuna, he tossed it to Kenshin, who caught it deftly. Eyeing the expiration date, long since past, Kenshin shrugged and accepted the can opener Sano offered. It was vacuum sealed, and Cat would not care if it was past the freshness date.

            "So... where are you going now?" Sano asked cautiously.

            "Wherever my feet take me," Kenshin murmured, setting the can opener aside and going through the motions of draining the water from the tuna. "Your friend still sleeping?"

            "Yeah, Katsu won't be moving anytime soon," Sano snorted. "He never could take any drink. You seem fine."

            Shrugging again, Kenshin turned to the cat. It was rubbing against his legs and meowing piteously, not happy until Kenshin sat down on the floor and held out the canned fish. Tail flicking happily, Cat snapped up the food as if it was her last meal. Kenshin sighed and stood, leaving the animal to its own devices.

            "You want something?" Sano offered, filling the silence that had fallen between them. "Cereal?"

            "If you don't mind," Kenshin agreed with a cheerful smile. Sano noted that he looked much better now that he was warm, dry and rested. His pallor had improved considerably, the dark smudges under his eyes fading to a more natural shade. The bedraggled boy had cleaned up to be quite a handsome young man.

            "I can't cook, or I'd offer omelets or something," Sano said, then wishing he had not, almost wincing at the utter lameness of the excuse. Kenshin was a homeless beggar. It probably did not matter to him _what_ was served so long as it filled him.

            "I don't mind," Kenshin murmured, accepting the bowl Sano put on the table for him. Sano poured himself his own bowl of cereal--a generic brand of Cheerios--and sat across from Kenshin. They sat in uneasy silence, the only sounds those of their spoons clinking against their bowls and the cat, greedily lapping up water from a dish Katsu had placed on the floor the night before.

            Sano was contemplating going to see if the morning paper had arrived yet when he spotted the rolled up newspaper on the counter. He wondered how he had missed seeing that earlier. Shaking his head, he retrieved the paper and dug through it until he located the Sports page.

            "Damn," he muttered, earning a curious glance from the man across the table. "My team lost."

            Kenshin looked at the page briefly before hesitantly poking through the rest of the paper until he pulled out the Classified ads.

            "Looking for a job?" Sano asked carelessly.

            "Just seeing what's available," Kenshin replied, eyes scanning down the columns of job opportunities. "You know anyplace around that needs help?"

            "Check the restaurants and drug stores... warehouses," Sano lifted his eyes from the paper. "They're always searching for part-time help."

            "Thanks."

            "Your cat going to have to pee?"

            Kenshin blinked at the unexpected question, then smiled and nodded.

            "Just clean it up," Sano grimaced.

            "Fair enough."

^_^

            Katsu rolled out of bed a few minutes before the noontime hour, his head still achy but otherwise feeling better. He was still wearing his clothes from the previous day, his senses too numbed to pick up the stink of sweat and alcohol.

            Sano was in the kitchen, the Sunday comics held up before him. Katsu had taken two steps into the room before a strange pressure against his ankle had him looking down. His fuzzy gaze had a difficult time comprehending that gray, furry creature sniffing at his bare foot. Blinking slowly, he looked up to Sano, who lifted a hand in morning greeting. Looking around the kitchen he discovered that they were the only ones present, and he did not recall passing anyone on his journey from the bedroom to the kitchen, even recalling that the bathroom door had been open, the room dark. Sano and Katsu were the only people in the apartment.

            "Where's the guy?" he asked, struggling and failing to remember the man's name.

            "Kenshin?"

            That was the name. Katsu nodded once. Sano did not look up, focused fully on the multicolored section of the newspaper.

            "Gone," Sano offered.

            "Gone," Katsu echoed, looking back down at the cat which had grown tired of him and was making a bed for herself on his chair by the kitchen table. "Why is that thing still here?"

            "Kenshin couldn't take it with him when he was job-hunting," Sano said carelessly.

            "So he's coming back," Katsu predicted.

            "Probably."

            Closing his eyes, Katsu gently massaged his forehead above the bridge of his nose, willing himself to have patience.

            "For the cat?" he asked quietly.

            "Well..."

            Katsu sighed.

            "You offered to let him stay longer, didn't you?"

            Sano replied with a sheepish grin, and Katsu scowled.

            "Sano, we had an agreement."

            "He's got nowhere to go, Katsu," Sano pointed out.

            "Cry me a river, Sano!" Katsu snapped. "We don't know who he is! One night was pushing it. Two, three... how long do you suppose this guy is going to keep leeching off us?"

            "Just until he gets a job," Sano protested. "He said he'd pay us back."

            "This is not a good idea," Katsu groaned. He could be very stubborn when it came to most things, but when it came to his friends, he found it difficult to hold onto his argument. Katsu decided it must be Sano. Somehow, Sano had a way about him that made Katsu want to back down passively.

            _That_, Katsu thought uneasily, _or I'm just too nice_.

            "He's _your_ responsibility, Sano," he said finally. "All yours."

            "I'll watch him," Sano said with a triumphant smirk. "And I'll kick his ass if he tries anything."

            "I'll hold you to that," Katsu retorted. "And make sure no one sees that cat. The landlord'll bitch if he finds out there's an animal here."

^_^

            It had been a grueling day. Seven and a half hours of waiting tables had Kaoru's feet sore and her back aching. The day started out bad when she showed up an hour late, her head pounding and fuzzy. In her hangover, she had slept through her alarm. As if to punish her, the diners had been particularly rude, few leaving tips and many openly contemptuous at the smallest mistake.

            _Heck_, she thought sourly as she pedaled her way down the street. _They were nasty even when I did everything perfectly!_

            Even the day seemed to be mocking her. All morning and well into the afternoon it had been beautiful. The sun was shining, the sky an endless blue, the air just slightly humid from the previous day's rain. By five--a half hour before she got to leave for the day--the clouds had taken over the sky. It was not raining, but the forecasters had all promised storms before the end of the night. Kaoru wondered if she should feel lucky it held off until she was home. Biking through a downpour was not her idea of a good time.

            Sighing, she lifted her head again, only to blink in dumb amazement as a rapidly growing figure appeared on the path before her. For an instant they stared at each other, both shocked. Kaoru saw the man shifting and knew he would never be out of the way before she hit him. Panicking, her hands clamped down on the breaks, a decidedly stupid move when she was speeding down a steeply inclined concrete sidewalk.

            Stunned, Kaoru could only shriek as she pitched forward over her handlebars, sweaty fingers slipping from the grips. Flailing in mad attempt to stop the inevitable, she yelped again as she collided with the man she first attempted to avoid. Both went down, hitting the concrete roughly, the man releasing a pained gasp as he took the brunt of the impact.

            Shaking from the scare and sore from the fall, Kaoru lifted her head to survey the damage. She was met with the sight of her bicycle's rear wheel, spinning slowly less than arm's length from her face. The next thing she noticed was the odd-feeling object just beneath her ribs.

            A soft groan alerted her that the man was just to her right, and she rolled away from him. The object under her, she quickly discovered, had been the man's arm.

            "My god..." she winced at the light scrapes across her bare forearms. "Ow... Sir? Are you okay? God, I'm so sorry!"

            A shock of long hair startled her, and for a moment she wondered if she had hit a woman.

            _No_, she thought, too stunned to blush as she pushed herself painfully to her feet. _That was definitely a guy._

            "Well..." the man spoke, and she stared down at him in shock. She realized, with no small amount of surprise, she knew him. He winced, hand going to his head as he sat up cautiously. "That was a first."

            "Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, sincerely doubting she would encounter another man who looked like that within a day.

            "I thought you looked familiar," he picked himself up with less effort than it took Kaoru, though she thought he looked worse for the wear. Even so, he brushed down his pants, eyeing the tear in the tee shirt where a small amount of blood stained the material. He looked up and smiled. Kaoru's heart fluttered nervously, and she finally did blush. "Are you okay?"

            "A little scratched up but fine," she murmured sheepishly, studiously avoiding his gaze. "Your shirt is ruined... I'll get you a new one."

            "Can a college student afford that?" Kenshin asked lightly, leaning down to grab her bike and lifting it with ease.

            "More than you can," she replied carelessly. An instant later, her own words struck her, and she gasped, hand flying to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

            "Nothing's wrong with the truth," Kenshin smiled cheerfully at her. "Your bicycle seat is torn."

            "It is?" Her gaze caught on the shredded nylon where it had scraped along the concrete. "Damn! Hey, you're bleeding!"

            "It's not bad," he waved her off.

            "No, let me take care of it," Kaoru caught his arm before he could walk away. "I ran into you, didn't I? I'll fix it up for you... and get you a new shirt. Unless you're busy, of course."

            "Not particularly," he smiled again. Kaoru was baffled by his perpetual cheer. Most people would have been just the slightest bit irked at being plowed over by a careless girl on bicycle, but he just smiled like it happened every day. "Here, I'll take your bike."

            Dumbfounded, Kaoru found herself trailing along beside the strange young man who insisted upon walking her bike for her. Too nervous for silence, she chattered on about nothing while they walked, not noticing how little Kenshin was contributing to the conversation. Each time she looked at him, he would offer that brilliant smile, and she would promptly forget to expect a response, blushing shyly and turning her stare forward.

            They continued in this fashion until they reached Kaoru's apartment. She unlocked the door and held it open while Kenshin pushed the bike through. The apartment manager never liked when Kaoru brought her bike through the lobby, but she frequently 'forgot' his protests and did it anyway.

            By the time they reached the elevator, Kaoru had told Kenshin all about her part-time job at a local diner, her college goals--to double major in business and elementary education (a strange combination, she knew, but one was for her family while the other was for herself)--her friends, her sorry lack in culinary ability, her favorite movie (_My Big Fat Greek Wedding_), and, of course, the annoying wet spell they'd hit in the weather recently. Kenshin took it all in stride, remaining mostly silent but for the occasional prompting statement when Kaoru's words slowed.

            In the apartment, Kaoru directed Kenshin to put the bicycle against the wall while she went to her room to dig out some clean clothes.

            "Make yourself comfortable," she called as she walked into the bathroom to change. "Just... don't get blood on the couch."

            "Okay," he replied readily, claiming a stool by the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area.

            Minutes later, Kaoru reappeared, her scuffed work clothes exchanged in favor of the more comfortable cotton sweater and jeans. She smiled when she saw Kenshin studying her salt and pepper shakers. They were a pair of bunnies, gotten on clearance after Easter several years back.

            "Let's fix up your side," she declared abruptly, and he quickly set down the salt shaker (a white bunny, while the pepper shaker was gray) and turned to face her.

            Kaoru placed her first aid kit on the counter.

            "It'll be easier if you take the shirt off," she said, flushing uneasily. Heedless of her embarrassment, Kenshin did as she requested, removing his tee shirt in one smooth movement. Kaoru glanced at him briefly, doing a classic double take as her mind registered the sight of his bare chest. Eyes widening noticeably, she could not help but stare, taking in the scratches and bruises--new and old--as well as several nasty-looking scars.  In spite of his wiry strength, his ribs stood out in stark relief, proof of his poor diet, and she wondered how he managed to keep on living.

            "It's stopped bleeding, I think," Kenshin's quiet observation brought Kaoru back to the present, and she blinked rapidly, tearing her eyes away to stare down at the first aid kit in blatant mortification.

            "Oh, um... I'll just... just clean it up... then," she stammered, fumbling for the gauze and alcohol. Forcing herself to look only at the long gash across Kenshin's side, she set to dabbing away the blood. He was right about it having stopped bleeding. It was a shallow cut that would no doubt sting every time he moved. He seemed unbothered by it, flinching once when she touched the new cut with the alcohol. "Sorry."

            "It's fine," he replied without hesitation.

            Kaoru thought to bandage the cut, but Kenshin suggested she leave it alone as it would hamper more than help him. She apologized again as she packed away the first aid kit, and again, Kenshin brushed off the apology with ease.

            "At least you weren't driving a car," he said in mild jest.

            "Not funny!" Kaoru was horrified, failing to cover a small, reflexive giggle at his comment. "I would have killed you!"

            "I'm very resilient," was all he had to say, standing and pulling his torn shirt back on. "It's raining again."

            "It is? Dang it!" Kaoru bit her lip. "I don't have a car."

            "Stay indoors, then," Kenshin suggested.

            "But I wanted to get you a new shirt!" she protested. "And we can't walk in the rain."

            He watched her as she sighed dejectedly, pouting slightly while she considered this new development. Glancing at him discreetly, Kaoru considered what she had seen of him when he was not wearing his shirt. She decided he was about her size, if not smaller around the middle due to his gauntness. He had an inch or so on her, which made him painfully short for a man. She was willing to bet she could wander into a boy's department and find him clothes that would fit better than if she shopped in the men's section.

            "Did you find a place to stay?" she asked finally, earning a startled blink.

            "Sanosuke said I could stay on his sofa for another night," Kenshin nodded.

            "I'll bet Katsu hates that," Kaoru said, smiling faintly. "Well... if you want, you can stay here. I've got a cot I can set up in the office. It's not a bed, but it's better than a couch."

            She glanced up when she received no immediate response, mildly surprised to find him unsmiling.

            "What?" she demanded, not appreciating the contemplative stare he was giving her. He averted his eyes obediently, studying his hands on his thighs for a moment before meeting her stare again.

            "You don't even know me," he said, voice low with caution.

            "You didn't seem to care when you stayed with Sanosuke," Kaoru scowled.

            "Two men are different from a solitary young woman," Kenshin shrugged. "If it pleases you, I would be grateful for the place to stay. I was just surprised at how quickly you jumped to offer."

            "It's not like I'm desperate for the company," Kaoru's irritation increased, even as a tiny voice inside of her cried out, _"Yes! Yes, I _am_ desperate for companionship!"_ "I just thought you could use some help. And I can afford it better than Sanosuke and Katsu. Sanosuke doesn't even have a job. Katsu can hardly pay for the two of them let alone you and a cat!"

            Kenshin stared at her, a tiny smile pulling at his lips. Kaoru frowned at him.

            "What's so funny?"

            "You're very... tenacious," he said after a moment's pause. "I have a job down at the Sixth Street Bookstore. I will repay you when I am able."

            "Really?" Kaoru stared at him, anger momentarily forgotten. "Just today you got that?"

            "The owner was a very friendly man," Kenshin nodded. Hesitating, he glanced at her again. "You trust me enough to let me stay here?"

            "You put me in bed last night without hurting me," she shrugged. "My two drunken guardians across the aisle notwithstanding. Besides," she grinned boldly, "I'm an excellent judge of character."

            Kenshin smiled.

^_^

            Admittedly, inviting a strange man to stay with her in her apartment was not one of Kaoru's wiser decisions. She had to confess that much as she considered how she would explain it to Katsu and Sanosuke. As was to be expected, she was met with resistance.

            "Are you _insane_?!"

            Kaoru flinched, her smile wavering under Sano's wide-eyed stare.

            "Kaoru, for all you know the guy could be some serial murderer!"

            Nodding weakly, Kaoru glanced to Katsu, who was looking at Sano incredulously. Shaking his head, he ignored her pleading gaze and turned to leave.

            "You two are both idiots," he announced, hand waving in dismissal before he disappeared into the hall. Sighing impatiently, Kaoru turned back to the brown-haired man in front of her.

            "I'm not asking for your permission, Sanosuke," she said with forced arrogance. "I simply came to retrieve Kenshin's cat and bag."

            "Where's Kenshin?" Sano growled.

            "He's fine," Kaoru replied, eyes narrowing defiantly. "He's in my apartment--_Hey_!"

            She staggered as the larger man pushed her aside, grabbing the counter to keep on her feet. Whipping around, she glared at his back, opening her mouth to protest his behavior. The door was left hanging open, and she realized what he was doing.

            "_Sanosuke_!"

            The furious brunette found the newly proclaimed red-haired menace in Kaoru's kitchen. Kenshin was considering the digital stovetop and a box of Hamburger Helper when Sano arrived. He glanced up at the man's noisy entrance (the front door smacking against the wall from the force of his entry) and drew back as Sano stormed into the kitchen. The smaller man stiffened when Sano's hands found purchase in the front of his shirt, hauling him to his toes. The box dropped to the floor with a muted thunk and rattle of dehydrated noodles.

            "If you hurt her, I swear I'll break your neck," Sano snarled.

            Feet leaving the floor, Kenshin grunted, gritting his teeth when Sano shook him to prove his point.

            "Sanosuke!" Kaoru rushed into the room, skidding to a stop when she saw the men by the counter. Sano pulled Kenshin up closer, their noses nearly touching. Kenshin's eyes opened fully from their pained squint, and Sano offered a threatening growl.

            "Do you hear me?" he hissed.

            "Loud and clear," Kenshin whispered back.

            "Put him down!" Kaoru shouted angrily. "Sanosuke!"

            "Dead man," Sano said, a menacing curl to his lip. "If you so much as _look_ at her wrong."

            "You need not worry about me," Kenshin murmured, wincing when Sano turned slightly, shoving him into the countertop roughly.

            "So they all say," Sano replied harshly. "Just be sure of it."

            Kenshin nodded, bringing forth one of his small smiles. Having gotten close enough without either man noticing, Kaoru set her hand lightly on Sano's arm.

            "Put him down," she said quietly. "Or you'll be the one on his back."

            Scowling fiercely, Sano loosened his grip. Kenshin caught the counter, slowing his descent to the floor. He smoothed down the front of his shirt, a hopeless task he discovered. Exerting slight pressure against Sano's arm, Kaoru convinced the man to step back so he was not standing on Kenshin's toes.

            "Are you staying for dinner?" Kenshin wondered, smiling suddenly as if nothing at all had happened. Ignoring the startled blinks of the pair across from him, he turned to pick up the Hamburger Helper once more, carelessly tearing open the top.

            "No, he's not staying," Kaoru said for him, glaring at Sano, who managed to provide a wonderful imitation of a kicked puppy, guilty and injured all at once. Silently, he turned and stalked out of the kitchen, pausing in the doorway to glance back and offer one last threat.

            "I'm serious, Kenshin," he said darkly. "Hurt her, and your head is mine."

            Pan clanking softly against the stove as he put it down, Kenshin looked over his shoulder to meet Sano's angry gaze.

            "I believe you," he murmured, then turned back to put the defrosted hamburger in the pan.

            Sano left, door closing behind him louder than necessary, proving he was still not happy about the situation. Kaoru sighed, shaking her head and turning back to Kenshin.

            "Sorry about that."

            "It's understandable," Kenshin shrugged.

            "You're bleeding again."

            "It'll stop soon."

            Sighing again, Kaoru sank into one of the chairs by the small kitchen table. She glanced over her shoulder to the door through which Sano had just left, then looked back to Kenshin.

            "Dang it."

            "What?" Kenshin wondered, searching for the cooking utensils while the hamburger hissed in the pan.

            "I went over there to get your bag and the cat," she said, burying her face in her hands in frustration. "And I left them both over there!"

            Kenshin looked at her, an amused smile on his face.

            "I think Cat likes Katsu anyway," he said mildly.

            Kaoru laughed.

^_^

_Notes_: A more realistic reaction to a young woman housing a strange man. I can't imagine _my_ parents/friends/anyone saying, "Oh, sure! Feel free to house a possible killer/rapist/mugger/lawyer in your home!" They'd never forgive me.

Next chapter: Allusions to the past.

Again, thanks to all who reviewed. Since I've been rather down lately, I'm not going to respond to you. I might come off as rather caustic where I only mean to be grateful. So thank you, and please keep reviewing. I honestly want to know what I could improve.


	4. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer_: See chapter one.

_Notes_: Kenshin wishes to announce that he is currently in a hot love affair with book store owner's daughter. She's a shapely blue-eyed blonde and is talented when it comes to new and unusual positions. Of course, Kenshin is blushing now and expressing his desire that I had not added that last observation. Kaoru is jealous, and Sano doesn't know quite how to react. Katsu hopes it means Kenshin will move in with the girl instead of with them. And Kenshin is happy indulging in shallow, meaningless intercourse. If anyone is confused, speak now or forever hold your piece…

_Warnings_: Um… Possible mistakes in poker. This story barely warrants a rating above G until next chapter (unless one accounts for my notes). Except I use the big F-bomb once. Whooo.

Onward!

Broken Rules 

            Lightning streaked across the sky in a display of dazzling violence. Barely an instant later, the building rocked with the sharp crack of thunder. Lightning flashed again, and the cycle repeated itself. It was steady, the sound never quite fading, the room in an almost constant wash of gray light. As if in afterthought, there was the distant wail of severe weather sirens, mostly blocked out by the thunder.

            Kaoru hated storms. It was an irrational fear. She simply could not easily tolerate them, her heart doing acrobats in her chest each time lightning flashed, thunder struck, or the wind rose to a threatening howl.

            This night was no different. Too distressed to remain in bed, Kaoru tugged a blanket off the pile and made her way into the living room. She thought to check on Kenshin, but if he was awake--and he would likely be awake with all the noise--he might question her lack of propriety in peeking in on him.

            The walls rattled with a particularly loud clap of thunder, and Kaoru failed to stifle a startled shriek. Hugging the blanket closer around her shoulders, she hurried into the living room, making a beeline for the couch. She stopped short at the edge of the chair, the flickering light illuminating something unusual already sitting there.

            She stared at the man sitting on her couch. 'Curled up' might have been a better description for it, as he was sitting with his legs drawn up, arms wrapped around them, his forehead resting on his knees. His eyes gleamed in the half light, and Kaoru's breath caught in her throat. His face was solemn, mouth set in a hard line. Her immediate impression was caged violence, the storm reflected in that one eye she could see.

            An instant later, it was gone, and his head was up, a light smile gracing his lips. Kaoru dismissed it, though it disturbed her, as a vision brought on by her fear of the storm.

            "I'm sorry if I startled you, Miss Kamiya," he murmured. "The storm kept me awake, I'm afraid."

            With a breathy laugh, Kaoru just nodded and claimed the cushion next to him, adopting a similar pose as she adjusted her blanket so it enveloped everything but her head.

            "Afraid of a little bad weather?" she asked as if she was not cringing every time the cupboards rattled. A soft noise to her left made her look down, and she smiled when she saw the gray cat trying to join her under the blanket. Nudging the sheet back, she felt the animal's warm fur slide against her bare leg smoothly before it curled up against her side.

            "I'm grateful I'm not out in it," Kenshin replied, shaking his head in response to her question.

            "You looked like you were deep in thought there, Kenshin," Kaoru winced when thunder rumbled loudly, momentarily breathless from the shock.

            A quiet murmur of assent was all Kenshin offered in response to her implied question. Kaoru glanced at him uncertainly, but the bland expression on his face gave away nothing. Lighting flashed, a fraction of a second passing before thunder sounded, and she yelped, unthinkingly lunging toward the only source of comfort and clamping onto his arm. Kenshin barely reacted, tensing momentarily before relaxing again and allowing the contact. Deciding she would feel far more ridiculous if she pulled away with an excuse, Kaoru retained her hold on Kenshin and sat huddled against his side.

            "Okay, so I'm not big on thunderstorms," she admitted.

            "So I gathered."

            "Shush yourself, jerk," Kaoru giggled nervously. "Maybe we should turn on the TV to see what's happening."

            "Power's out," Kenshin replied, shaking his head to the negative.

            "I'd better get some candles then."

            Kenshin watched as Kaoru climbed off the couch, eyebrows raised in bemused curiosity. Although they had been sitting in the dark, it was not until after she learned the power was out that Kaoru bothered with light.

            Hugging his legs to his chest more firmly, he remained seated. If he followed Kaoru without her knowledge, he would likely just startle her. He was not bothered by the darkness anyway.

            A knock on the door had both occupants of the apartment looking up, wondering who would come in the middle of a storm. Frowning uneasily, Kenshin finally rose, gesturing for the girl to stay back when she emerged from the kitchen, a curious expression on her face.

            "I'll get it," he murmured, ignoring her confused stare and focusing on the door. It took a few seconds more than it would have taken someone familiar with the deadbolt, but he pulled open the door without hesitation, only to flinch back when a bright light glared in his eyes, hand jumping up to block it.

            "Where's Kaoru?" Sano's deep voice demanded, sounding more than a little annoyed at Kenshin's presence rather than Kaoru's.

            "In the kitchen," Kenshin edged to the side, but the light followed him, courtesy of Sano, moving the flashlight to watch Kenshin's movements. "Getting candles."

            "Everyone okay over here?" Katsu's voice came from somewhere behind Sano, and Kenshin stepped back to let them into the apartment.

            "We're fine!" Kaoru shouted back. "Come on in!"

            Shooting Kenshin wary glances, Sano and Katsu did just that. Closing the door behind them, Kenshin followed.

^_^

            A carton of melting ice cream and some leftover hard lemonade later, the four unlikely companions sat in the kitchen, surrounded by flickering candlelight. Kaoru giggled, a little louder than what was normal, and dropped her cards on the table.

            "Royal flush!" she announced. "Pay up!"

            "Damn," Sano grumbled, yanking off his second sock and flinging it to the growing pile of clothes in the middle of the kitchen floor. Katsu did the same, tossing his shirt onto the pile. He still had one of his socks and was saving it for no apparent reason. It being the first time he lost a round, Kenshin fumbled with his own shirt, fingers not accustomed to unbuttoning it. Sano smirked. "Tell me that's not yours."

            Kenshin blinked, caught in the action of forcing another small button free.

            "Uh... no," he sighed and instead chose to squirm out of the shirt without unbuttoning it.

            "He doesn't have any pajamas," Kaoru said with a grin. She had been losing along with the boys for the past two rounds, and she was left in her oversized pajama shirt. "I couldn't very well let him sleep in his clothes. That's gross."

            "So he's wearing _yours_?" Sano snorted.

            "The buttons are backwards," Kenshin observed mildly, tossing the top to the pile. He was left in the cotton shorts--pink and yellow plaid.

            "Pretty nasty looking cut you've got there, Kenshin," Katsu remarked, eyeing the scratch along the man's side.

            "I ran into him today," Kaoru explained for him. "On my bike."

            "Ouch," Sano grimaced sympathetically.

            "It's okay," Kenshin said lightly, picking up his cards and considering them before looking up again. "It was an accident."

            "Man, I'm going to be out if this keeps up," Sano complained, shuffling his cards in his hands until they were organized to his liking. "That how you got stuck staying here?"

            "I would not put it like that," Kenshin smiled.

            "Where are you from?" Katsu asked abruptly. "If you don't mind my asking."

            "Somewhere in the desert," Kenshin shrugged, setting down two cards and replacing them with two from the remaining deck on the table.

            "Seems better than this rainy wasteland," Sano muttered.

            "Electrical storms were common," Kenshin shook his head. "Just less rain. I fold."

            "You can't fold!" Kaoru protested.

            "Judging by that grin on your face, I'll be losing," Kenshin chuckled. "And I don't care to lose the only article of clothing I've got left--women's clothing or not. Besides, it sounds like the storm's letting up."

            "Guys?" Kaoru looked beseechingly to the other two.

            "I'm in," Katsu nodded.

            "What the hell," Sano agreed.

            "Two pair. Kings and sevens."

            "Fuck--excuse me, damn," Sano groused, glancing at Kaoru nervously after his first curse. Katsu groaned, throwing down his cards and peeling off his second sock. Kaoru giggled and leaned over, prying at Kenshin's fingers in attempt to see his cards. He shrugged helplessly, flipping them to show his hand--two fours... and three aces.

            "Full house," Katsu said when the dumbfounded Kaoru failed to comment. "Hard to beat that."

            "I would have lost my top," Kaoru murmured dumbly.

            Kenshin smiled and stood.

            "Maybe next time," he said, digging his borrowed shirt out of the pile of clothing and making his way out of the kitchen.

^_^

            Katsu was mad, although that was hardly a strong enough word for how he felt. He thought about it as he stormed across campus, portfolio under one arm, his other hand fumbling in his pocket for his bus pass. In contemplation he came up with better descriptions for it: angry, furious, _full of wrath_ (which was one phrase he favored), and homicidal, although he put it into a more colorful form with plenty of splashing red life's liquid and various bits of anatomy flying in different directions.

            He should have expected it. Sano had been less than cooperative when it came to being photographed, and even though Katsu had spent the better part of Sunday and much of the wee morning hours of Monday working on the project, his art professor had snubbed it.

            "The whole thing reeks of constipation," were the man's exact words. "Your model, your compilation... everything."

            "I knew I should have used the cat when I had the chance," Katsu mumbled, then proceeded to ignore the world around him until the bus pulled to a stop less than a block from his apartment. From there it was only a matter of minutes before he was walking into his home away from home, dumping the contents of his portfolio in the trash (he had the negatives still, of course) and dropping onto the couch with an angry sigh.

            "What's up, Katsu?" Sano asked, having heard the man enter as he was finishing up his shower. He stopped in the entrance, dressed in jeans and little else, toweling his hair dry while he waited for an answer.

            "You're constipated!" Katsu replied with tired animosity. He had gotten less than three hours of sleep the night before and was all the more irritable for it.

            "I was not aware," Sano arched an eyebrow curiously. "I wish you would have told me before I had that pasta for lunch."

            Blinking incomprehensibly, Katsu decided it was not worth the effort to respond. He let his head fall back to the armrest and groaned as if in great pain.

            "I'm going to have to pull a miracle out of my ass to get back on the prof's favored list," he moaned. Opening his eyes to stare fuzzily upward, he reached for the ceiling, knowing full well he could never reach it while laying flat on his back on the couch. "I can see Venice... floating away from me."

            "Man, you're just full of bad jokes today," Sano grunted, tossing his towel over the back of a chair and sauntering across the room to the couch. Leaning against the back, he stooped forward to look down at his roommate. "You need another model?"

            "I need a dagger and no witnesses," Katsu retorted.

            "Ask Kaoru," Sano suggested, smirking at Katsu's suggestion. "The girl's as photogenic as they get."

            "She's too... two-dimensional," Katsu shook his head, scowling up at the grinning brunette. "There's no... I don't know. She's not good enough!"

            Sano snorted, trying not to laugh.

            "She'd pound you into next week if she knew you said that," he said, voice strained with the effort it took to keep a straight face. "It gotta be a person?"

            "If Kaoru's two-dimensional, then an animal or plant is half a dimension," Katsu closed his eyes, rubbing them tiredly. "Maybe that cop you keep getting tangled up with."

            "That guy'll break your camera lens," Sano immediately scowled.

            "He's an ass, but he wouldn't do that on purpose," Katsu smiled.

            "I'm talking about his ugly face!" Sano snapped. "You think _he's_ got more than two sides?"

            "Two dimensions, Sano," Katsu corrected mildly. "And yes, he does."

            Partway through his reply, the doorbell rang. Sniffing again to emphasize his disapproval of Katsu's last suggestion, Sano turned to answer the door. He opened it to see a startled young woman. Kaoru grinned suddenly, just the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks as she ran her eyes down Sano's chest and back up to his face. He remembered he had yet to put on a shirt and offered his own leering grin in response.

            "You like what you see?"

            "You've got nothing on Kenshin," Kaoru replied, just as quick to the barb.

            Sano's shoulders slumped in mock defeat.

            "Chalk one up for the bum," he grumbled.

            "That would be you," Kaoru smiled sweetly. "And I believe Kenshin's the one with the point."

            "What do you want, Kaoru?" Sano scowled, stung by the feminine jabs. Kaoru was oblivious, holding up a small bundle.

            "You left some of your clothes at my place last night," she explained. "Looks like you could use them."

            "Funny," Sano rolled his eyes and snatched the clothes from her hands. "Where's the kid?"

            "Kenshin?" Kaoru blinked. "At work, I think. He said he got a job at the bookstore."

            "If _he_ can get a job, so can you," Katsu reminded Sano casually as he wandered over to join the conversation. "Hello, Kaoru."

            "Hi, Katsu," Kaoru waved cheerfully. Her expression softened to one of concern. "You look down. Something wrong?"

            "His art project flopped," Sano muttered, slinking away moodily. His pouting rarely lasted for long, but he was quick to succumb to it when the insults flew too fast for him to keep up. Both aware of this fact, Kaoru and Katsu let him walk away without comment.

            "If I can get a new model and have this reworked by next Monday, _maybe_ I can get this back together," Katsu sighed, shaking his head at the improbability of the notion. "But anyone I would care to use probably won't."

            "Like who?" Kaoru asked innocently.

            "Well, there's psycho-cop--"

            "Captain Fujita?" Kaoru winced. "He's so... unpleasant."

            "I probably couldn't catch him in anything but stiff poses," Katsu agreed. "And even if he did agree to it, he'd probably glare at me the whole time."

            "That's not always a _bad_ thing," Kaoru said doubtfully.

            Katsu smirked and shook his head again. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the doorframe comfortably.

            "There's a girl in my class I wouldn't mind using," he mused. "But she hates me."

            "Why?" Kaoru was taken aback. Katsu was one of the nicer men she knew. She could not imagine hating him.

            "Because I'm doing better than she is," Katsu grinned. "Competition is brutal."

            "I guess," Kaoru murmured.

            "There's your new roommate, but he's..." Katsu searched for a word and settled on one that did not quite fit, even though it was not an inaccurate observation, "odd. Besides, he'd probably say no."

            "He is a little different," Kaoru agreed, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting the subject of their conversation to walk up any minute. "But he's a gentleman, which is more than I can say for you or Sanosuke."

            "Thank you," Katsu looked at her shrewdly. "You mean last night when he threw in that nearly unbeatable hand?"

            "Not just that!" Kaoru shook her head, eyes wide with astonishment. "He's unbelievably polite, does things that need to be done without even waiting to be told, and he never once tried to hit on me. Although maybe he's just queer."

            "It's possible," Katsu grinned. "Ask him. He'll turn that smile of his on you and never answer."

            "Yeah, he does that, too," Kaoru sighed. "Well... I'll tell him of your dilemma. Maybe he'll be okay with it."

            Though he smiled and nodded, Katsu doubted he would receive a positive answer from the man. For whatever reason, he did not know, but he had the feeling Kenshin would prefer not to be photographed.

^_^

            Philosophy had always intrigued Kenshin. He had not, in fact, read any books on it, but it interested him nonetheless. Socrates and Aristotle and various smaller, lesser known names down the row in the philosophy section. On the other side of the aisle was New Age and Psychology.

            Kenshin enjoyed his time in the bookstore. He wandered through the short aisles of the small, family-owned business, scanning the rows of literature, caught in the variety. History, fiction, general reference, animals, architecture, art... The store did not contain the huge inventory of Barnes & Noble, but the variety was there.

            The owner was an elderly man with a ready smile and a charming disposition. For whatever reason, the women loved him, responding to his blatant flirting with wide smiles and a little extra spring to their steps. Men laughed at the old man's antics, bantering with him good-naturedly. There were, as always, exceptions, but for the most part people loved him.

            "Just smile at the people, young Lee," said the man--Mr. Holden as Kenshin addressed him. "And you'll be instantly liked."

            Kenshin smiled at him, nodding in agreement. Mr. Holden liked him, as he had already told Kaoru.

            At the end of the workday, he returned to the apartment building, buzzing Kaoru's apartment and asking if she would be letting him up again. She had giggled at his cautious question and unlocked the front door.

            "How was the bookstore?" Kaoru asked as he walked into the apartment, kicking off his shoes at the door as Kaoru ordered. The girl greeted him with a smile followed by a startled blink and an incredulous laugh. "Is that your uniform?"

            She was referring to the navy polo shirt with the store's logo on the breast. The shirt was three sizes too large, meant for Mr. Holden, who swore he would order a smaller one soon. Kenshin was nearly engulfed by the extra-large shirt, the sleeves halfway down his forearms, the excessive material at the bottom folded up and tucked into his pants. It was comedic at best, unfashionable at worst.

            "Yes," Kenshin said with a careless smile. He went about untucking the shirt, dragging the material out from the waistband of his pants. A few seconds later, it hung loose and wrinkled, landing just three inches short of his knee. Kaoru laughed again.

            "You look like a child in his dad's shirt!" she informed him. "Get one of your own shirts on."

            "At least it's comfortable," Kenshin remarked as he went to the makeshift guest room. Kaoru watched him go, marveling at how much smaller he looked in that shirt. In the few days since she had known him, he had gotten bigger. It was not a literal thing, the only thing possible of being described as 'bigger' being his face, which had lost some of its gauntness since he arrived. Even so, Kaoru felt that she looked up when she looked to him. His constant good humor, the never-ending patience, and his natural charm all seemed to account for this increase in size. Kaoru was in awe of his optimism. For someone who had almost nothing, he always stood straight, shoulders squared confidently, meeting the world with a smile. To compare him to the stereotypical bum on the corner with his cardboard sign bearing smudged black words announcing 'will work for food,' Kenshin was far from the norm.

            "I saw Katsu and Sanosuke today," Kaoru called out, walking back into the kitchen to finish her latest project. It was to be turkey sandwiches that night. After all, even _she_ could make a turkey sandwich without ruining it... too badly. She gasped at the yellowish mustard spreading across the bread. She could have sworn the jar contained mayonnaise just a minute ago. "Dang it!"

            "Was it that bad?" Kenshin asked, following her voice to the kitchen. He was dressed in the first outfit he had been wearing when Sano and Katsu encountered him. It was a dark gray long-sleeved tee shirt, free of any telling logos and threadbare with use. The jeans were in similar condition, and Kaoru wondered if she could get away with buying him more than just a shirt. She would not be caught dead wearing such pathetic clothing.

            "I hate mustard," she mumbled. "I don't know why I even keep it in the house."

            "Oh," Kenshin blinked and glanced to the slices of bread on the second plate. "Well, use the other bread."

            "That'll waste bread!" Kaoru protested.

            "If you're going to throw it out just because it has mustard on it, I'll eat it," he offered, picking up the jar of mustard, glancing at the expiration date, and capping it. "This won't be good much longer anyway. Maybe your friends across the hall would like it."

            Flushing self-consciously, Kaoru just nodded and retrieved the mayonnaise jar. Checking the label to be certain this time, she started over, giving the first turkey sandwich to Kenshin. He studied the heaping piles of turkey and glanced at Kaoru to find her placing even more on her new sandwich.

            "Anyway," Kaoru murmured, hesitating as she pulled out the mayonnaise and finally settling on a thin layer of the creamy sauce. After all, she did not want Kenshin to think she was a pig. "Katsu didn't do very well on his art project."

            "That's too bad," Kenshin said sympathetically. He saw the glasses on the counter and moved to get himself some water. "What do you want to drink?"

            "Water's fine, thanks," Kaoru pressed a slice of bread down on her sandwich, and she was ready to eat. "As I was saying... about Katsu's art project. He says he can redeem himself if he does it over and does it better."

            "A nice opportunity," Kenshin agreed, smiling and sitting across from Kaoru at the cheap particleboard table.

            "He's looking for someone who'll model for him," Kaoru announced before biting into her sandwich.

            "He have someone in mind?" Kenshin inquired politely, taking a considerably smaller bite and waiting for an answer. Kaoru smirked, the expression decidedly odd while her mouth was full of bread, sliced turkey, and mayo. Kenshin watched her uncertainly, confused when she did not answer even after she had swallowed her bite and had drunk some water to wash it down. She merely continued to stare at him knowingly. "What?"

            Her eyebrows lifted, and she nodded slightly, grinning when he finally blinked in dawning comprehension.

            "What--me?" he blurted, eyes wide with surprise.

            "You got it," Kaoru grinned impishly. "Of course, he thinks you're odd--exact wording, mind you--and that you'd say no. But I think it's a good idea. Maybe you've got your new calling."

            "Calling," Kenshin echoed softly. Kaoru looked up at him, not sure what to make of that cautious tone, but he was smiling as always, that look of mild amusement forever on his face.

            "Modeling," she said abruptly, wiping her hand on a napkin and reach across the table to brush at the hair in his eyes. "I mean... look at you. You're better looking than half the models in any magazine."

            "That's very generous," Kenshin shook his head, glancing down as he heard soft mewling. The cat finally rose out of sleep long enough to smell the food and was rubbing against his leg to remind him that she had yet to be fed that day. He reached down to rub the fur beneath Cat's chin, barely seeing her though he stared right into her bright, yellow-green eyes. "I would rather not, though, if it's all the same to you."

            "Why not?" Kaoru wondered, visibly disappointed. She would have loved to see her temporary roommate pose for Katsu's camera. "You'd be great."

            "I'm not as photogenic as you might think, Miss Kamiya," Kenshin said, lifting his head to smile at her again. Standing suddenly, he dropped the rest of his sandwich into the bowl Kaoru provided for Cat. The feline barely waited for the food to settle in the dish before she had her nose in it, nipping lightly at the meat. Kaoru watched him put his plate in the dishwasher, bewildered by his seemingly groundless refusal.

            "Katsu doesn't care if you're photogenic or not," she stated boldly. "That's not a good reason."

            "You're determined to get me to do this," Kenshin chuckled, leaning back against the countertop to study her.

            "You're better than Captain Fujita," Kaoru said, glaring at him to prove she was unhappy with his answer. "He's scary."

            "Captain Fujita?" Kenshin tilted his head curiously.

            "Sanosuke and Katsu call him psycho-cop," Kaoru could not repress a smirk at the thought. "He's not crazy, but he's intimidating. His smile is unnatural, so most of the time he just scowls."

            "Sounds pleasant," Kenshin's smile grew somewhat wary. Kaoru watched him closely, noting this slight crack in his mask to be the first she had noticed since she had met the man. "I did not know your friends had connections with the police."

            _Ah_, Kaoru thought, enlightened by the mild observation. _So he doesn't like police. But then again, a runaway like Sanosuke thought would be leery. If they find him, he'll be returned home._

            "Not really," Kaoru said aloud. "Sanosuke just keeps running into Captain Fujita. They hate each other, but Katsu and the man get along all right. He says it's rumored Captain Fujita used to work in the CIA and is bitter about it now."

            "CIA," Kenshin repeated. His smile was fading slowly, still present but immeasurably sad. Kaoru was confused by it, thinking it looked so out of place on his pleasant face. Her heart ached at the mere sight of it. "Is that so?"

            "It's just a rumor," she murmured uneasily.

            It was strange, she thought, how his demeanor had changed so drastically with the mention of Katsu's photographs. A minute ago, he had been smiling at her so warmly, appearing genuinely glad to be in the kitchen with her. Presently, he stared down at the cat by his feet, his expression distant and thoughtful. The smile was gone completely, his brow creased in concentration.

            "Hey, Kenshin," Kaoru said abruptly, smiling brightly when he blinked out of his thoughts and looked up at her. "I still owe you a shirt."

^_^

            It took them three hours to get out of the apartment. They encountered Sano on their way out, who proceeded to drag them into his place with the declaration that they had a must-see movie. The movie was decent enough--an old black and white film--and ate up two hours. Then, Sano talked them into some dessert, which consisted of vanilla ice cream and various toppings. With the exception of Kenshin, they scarfed down the sweets in twenty minutes. Kenshin did not have any, claiming he had no taste for the sugar.

            Katsu joined them briefly during the short ice cream party, glancing at Kaoru curiously. She sighed loudly and shook her head, shooting a pouting glare at Kenshin, who seemed not to notice. Sano glanced at the three curiously, wondering what he was missing, then forgot to ask when Kenshin pointed at a picture on a nearby bookshelf and asked who was in it.

            After that, they talked for awhile, Kaoru and Sano both too stuffed to move. From there, they debated on whether or not Sano would come, Kaoru reducing herself to begging. Even though it was not far, she did not want to walk. Sano glanced out the window, studying the twilight of the nine o'clock hour, and finally agreed to accompany them. He would not send the girl walking alone in the dark, nor would he allow her to do the same with a man they barely knew.

            So, by nine fifteen they were out the door, across town, and pulling into the Wal-Mart parking lot. Not many stores were open so late, but Wal-Mart was one of the wonderful few that were open twenty-four hours.

            "Ever been shopping with a woman, Kenshin?" Sano asked as they walked into the store, Kaoru three steps ahead of them and smiling with quiet mischief, anticipating adding her personal touch to Kenshin's meager wardrobe.

            "Not recently," Kenshin replied, pausing to look at the books near the entrance.

            "You work in a bookstore!" Kaoru called back, and he hurried to catch up, murmuring a quick apology.

            "They get weird," Sano muttered.

            "You don't like shopping?" Kenshin wondered. A pair of children, no older than six, scampered around him, and he smiled, watching them rush to their mother's side when she shot them a warning frown.

            "Only when I've got the money," Sano sighed. "And I don't got the money."

            "Kenshin, come look at this!" Kaoru's voice rang over the relatively mild din of the store. "It might be a little big."

            "You heard the girl," Sano smirked.

            Kenshin was not sure how he ended up with a pile of clothes in his arms that was so high he could barely see over it, but he did not complain. Kaoru was enjoying herself, chasing him into a fitting room and demanding to see every article of clothing.

            Feeling no particular obligation toward the man, Sano abandoned them soon enough, announcing he would be checking out the movies and music. He was not sure he wanted to hang around with the pair anyway.

            _Don't get hung up on it, idiot_, he scolded himself, shoving his hands into his pockets as he perused the 'under ten dollars' stand of movies. Most of them were the old VHS, the few DVDs only the less desired films of the day.

            He was not sure why he was so bothered by Kenshin hanging around Kaoru. He loved the girl like he would his own sister--if he had a sister. So, he thought perhaps he was feeling overprotective, wanting to shield her from all the strangers of the world. That argument worked to some extent, but it flew out the window when he continually left her alone with Kenshin, even going so far as to put up as little fuss as he did when she announced Kenshin was staying with her. After all, what kind of girl invited a perfect stranger to live with her in this day and age? A stupid one, to be perfectly blunt. Sano was appalled that she ever considered it. Yet there he was, out of sight and hearing range of the pair, grumbling to himself over a copy of _Orgasma_.

            Startled to see he had picked up such a video and aware others might see him holding it, Sano quickly set it down and moved away from the shelf, ears burning. Shuffling over to the discount CDs, he settled down for some less hazardous digging while he mused over the people shopping across the store. While he was poking through some artists he did not recognize, he came to an unlikely revelation.

            "I am not jealous," he hissed suddenly. The woman nearby glanced at him oddly before moving away. Embarrassed, Sano rubbed at the shorter hairs at his nape and sighed. Pushing his hands into his pockets once more, he made his way back to Kenshin and Kaoru.

^_^

            "You know, Kenshin... I realized I don't even know your last name," Kaoru observed that night while she prepared for bed. Kenshin was already in his pajamas--newly purchased on Kaoru's insistence--and teasing Cat with a string on the living room floor. Kaoru sat on the couch, braiding her hair for the night. "Surely you've got one."

            Kenshin hesitated, his hands stilling long enough for Cat to catch the string and start chewing on it.

            "Lee," he said after a moment. "It's Lee."

            "Lee?" Kaoru repeated, a skeptical tone to the question. "That sounds funny. Kenshin Lee."

            "It does sound a little strange, doesn't it?" Kenshin smiled, chuckling softly. "It's not as bad as Smith or the likes."

            "Kenshin Smith," Kaoru tried the name, then wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "That sounds awful."

            "Lee is better?" Kenshin asked, smirking at her.

            "A little," she sighed. "Just not quite right."

            Nodding as if to agree with her, Kenshin did not answer. He tugged the string away from Cat and smiled when the animal pounced again.

^_^

            Captain Goro Fujita was a workaholic according to his fellow officers. Having a wife and an adopted son, they would have thought he would make it a point to get home on occasion. However, they rarely came into the office to find him not present. For all they knew, he lived at the station, leaving only to eat and work in the field.

            Fujita preferred work to his home. It was true that he obsessed over his assignments, covering it with a sour attitude and a threatening scowl. However, the lesser known fact was that he was far less intimidated by his boss than he was by his wife. Being the most frightening man in the department, Fujita had no reason to fear his superiors. In his house, under the reign of a mild-mannered petite woman, he was reduced to equal at best, though he often felt he was a mere servant to his wife's desires. In other words, he was terrified of the woman and preferred being in his own domain where even his boss feared him.

            That week was worse than usual. Mrs. Fujita had brought forth a surprise that was enough to make even the strongest and fiercest of men cringe. Her parents were coming to town. Of course they would not be staying in a hotel. That would be far too convenient in Fujita's opinion. The in-laws would be sleeping in the master bedroom until they left, two weeks from the past Sunday.

            Fujita loved his wife. Her parents, on the other hand, he did not like so much. The mere thought of the old farts sleeping in his bed made him shudder. He often found himself gritting his teeth, grinding his cigarette (unlit due to smoking regulations in the building) into so much tobacco dust, when he recalled how he would be sleeping on the couch for the week. His wife took the daybed in the guest bedroom while their son remained in his own room.

            So, Fujita stayed at work. He went home to sleep and change clothes before returning to work. He lived in his job, using it to try to forget those piercing gray eyes, that yellow-toothed snarl, a crooked finger shaking and demanding to know everything he did. His mother in-law was as terrifying as a person could get.

            "Um... Captain Fujita?"

            At least in his place of work, all the underlings were sufficiently cowed by his superiority, unlike the old crone who had invaded his house along with her weak-willed slave of a husband.

            "What is it?"

            And at least he was capable of not screaming out, _"What? For the love of god, can't you see I'm busy plotting the demise of my mother in-law here?!"_ The thought of the reaction of the poor fool who dared interrupt his work (which consisted of boring legalities and pleasant daydreams of the police finding said mother in-law dead by causes unknown, probable suicide) was amusing to say the least. Unfortunately, he would then be the subject of much gossip, thereby thwarting any plots against the old bat.

            "There's uh... there's someone here to... he wants to see you, sir," the sergeant whose name Fujita failed to recall stammered nervously.

            Fujita glanced up from his paperwork, his face set in severe lines, showing nothing but mild annoyance. In reality, he was relieved, grateful for a distraction. Safe in his office was all well and good, but it did get boring.

            "Send him in," he ordered, closing the manila envelope, effectively hiding the headache inducing legal documents he had been reading.

            "Yes, sir!"

            A few minutes later a kid walked into the office, and Fujita had to repress a sigh of disappointment. It was the friend of the nuisance of a boy who never failed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. What was that idiot's name again? Fujita had to think on it for a few seconds before he dredged the kid's name out of his memory: Sanosuke Sagara.

            Irritating little brat if there ever was one, in Fujita's opinion. For a kid who came from such a proper family, it was a wonder he had turned out to be so impertinent. Fujita knew the family by reputation only, but the reputation was enough that he knew Sanosuke's wild behavior was looked upon with disapproval.

            The boy presently in his office was not nearly so offensive. His major flaw was in being associated with the Sagara kid. Fujita did not know this kid's family name. He only ever seemed to go by Katsu. It was an artist thing, Fujita assumed. They always went for a single name, like Madonna. Fujita hated Madonna.

            "What can I do for you, Katsu?" Fujita asked, leaning back into his chair and casually tossing his ruined cigarette into the trash.

            "I'm working on a project, and I wondered if you would be willing to help." If there was one thing Fujita had to like about Katsu it was that he got straight to the point. At least, he did when dealing with Fujita.

            "What kind of project?"

            "I need some pictures," Katsu held up his camera bag. "Do you mind if I follow you around today?"

            "You want to take pictures of me working," Fujita said bluntly, caught between the vain pleasure of flattery and annoyance.

            "Yes, sir," Katsu offered a careless smile. Fujita had seen better, but the kid was well on his way to disarming people with that expression.

            "No."

            Katsu's smile disappeared, and he sighed, dropping into the chair in front of Fujita's desk.

            "Why not?" he demanded with a scowl.

            "I'm a busy man, kid," Fujita stated coldly. "I do not have time to baby-sit."

            "I won't get in your way," Katsu said mildly, already unpacking his camera. Fujita frowned, irritated by this development.

            "Out," he ordered.

            "You'll hardly notice I'm here," Katsu insisted, camera clicking as he set up the lens.

            "Kid--"

            "A few pictures," Katsu continued, talking over Fujita's protests as if he did not hear them. "And I'll be gone."

            "You're getting on my nerves, Katsu," Fujita warned.

            Katsu sighed again.

            "You know I would not ask if I was not desperate, Captain Fujita," he said, gaze imploring. "I've asked everyone else--Sano, Kathryn, Kenshin--and they all said no. I'll start begging if you don't say yes."

            Fujita froze in the action of pulling out a new cigarette. Something was off in what Katsu had just said. Smirking slightly, he poked the cigarette between his lips and put the case back in his top drawer. Content to hold the unlit thing between his teeth, he leaned back and considered the young man across from him.

            "The Sagara boy, your art friend, and... I don't recognize the other name," he said contemplatively.

            "He's just some guy we ran into the other day," Katsu said warily, uncertain of Fujita's interest. "He's staying with Kaoru." He decided not to inform the police officer of Kenshin's low social status.

            "Very kind of her," Fujita's smirk fell away as if it had never existed, and he tossed the cigarette. "Fine. I'm on lunch, kid. Let's start with some food."

            Katsu smiled, vastly relieved. Following him out of the office, Captain Fujita's smile was not a pleasant one.

^_^

            Kenshin liked this place. The small-town setting had always been something he liked, isolated and forgotten. A person could disappear from the world in such a place, which was what he was looking to do. Even so, he knew it would never last. It never did. He had been traveling for nearly five years, and to his recollection, he had spent no more than two weeks in any given place. The bigger the place, the shorter the stay. Big cities were not kind to penniless travelers.

            The people in this place were different than most places, though. He liked Kaoru, the girl far too sweet and naive for her own good. Her kindness gave him a place to stay. Somehow, he had a feeling that if he asked it of her, she would let him stay for a very long time. Years.

            Katsu was intriguing. More perceptive than most, Kenshin had been worried about him at first. When it got down to it, Katsu was just a kid living out of his parents' pockets, innocent to the ways of the world. He saw money, safety, and school--little else. Kenshin knew it rarely worked so simply. People did not always want money in exchange for services such as room and board. Some people would not barter at all out of pure greed. Kenshin was leery of people so selfish they were unwilling to do anything but take. He had encountered his fair share of such men, and it was never pleasant.

            Sanosuke was something entirely different. Cocky and headstrong, he was a bit of a force to be reckoned with. Kenshin was not afraid of him as he suspected Sano would have preferred. He found the boy amusing if anything. But he did have to recognize his own instincts on the matter. Sano was far more trustworthy than anyone else he had met in this town. If there was a person to go to for help, it would be him.

            _Not that I'll need help from any of these people_, Kenshin reminded himself sternly. _I won't stay long enough. How can I trust people I don't know?_

            The answer to that question, as always, was simply that he could not. He owed them no allegiance, and the same could be said for the girl and two boys. A man such as himself could not afford to forge any ties that might bind him to this place or these people.

            Having come to this conclusion, Kenshin continued with a spry gait down the road to Kaoru's home. Across the parking lot, nearer to the building, his step faltered as he focused on the blue and red lights mounted so innocently atop the black and white sedan parked in the fire lane. The fact that those lights were not flashing threateningly did little to reassure him, and he thought back to the doubts he had been considering only minutes ago.

            It was silly, he told himself. If they had yet to call the police on him, however unjustified the call might be, they would not do it now. Logically thinking, there were hundreds of people in this particular apartment complex. The police could be there for any number of reasons.

            He continued to tell himself this as he buzzed the proper apartment. For a long time, no one answered, and he pushed the button again. Though it had been only six days since he met her, Kaoru had yet to refuse him entrance.

            Finally, Kaoru's voice crackled out of the intercom.

            "Y-yes?"

            The tremor in her voice was unexpected. Kenshin frowned and replied.

            "It's me, Miss Kamiya," he said mildly. "May I come up?"

            Another pause followed his request, and the door buzzed. He quickly pulled it open before she stopped, causing the lock to reengage, and made his way to the elevator.

            Kenshin was met at the door by an unfamiliar man in uniform. He stared up at the taller man in wide-eyed alarm, already preparing to run.

            "Mr. Lee?"

            He hated that name.

            "Yes..." he shifted back warily, eyes roving the apartment beyond the police officer. There was one other that he could see, and he rapidly assessed the situation. It was a female officer, twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, roughly five-foot-six, one hundred twenty-five pounds (give or take, depending on musculature), and left-handed. She stood near the sofa, where Kaoru sat, both women's backs to the door. The one in front of him was no more than thirty, five-foot-eleven, one hundred eighty pounds (again, give or take a few), and had a weak right wrist if that brace was any indication.

            "I take it you're a good friend of Ms. Kamiya," the man inquired--name tag declaring him to be Reece Melon (the poor guy was probably tormented in school for such a name). Kenshin nodded, although it was not remotely true. "Come in."

            Still uncertain but far more confident, Kenshin stepped past the man. He was unconcerned when it came Officer Melon, but the other officer was still an unknown variable. The woman glanced at him, then dismissed him, staring down at Kaoru's hunched form sympathetically.

            Kenshin relaxed. This had nothing to do with him, he decided. It was Kaoru's problem, and he was only the bystander.

            The girl looked up, and he froze, caught in her watery stare. Kaoru's cheeks were wet, her eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed with crying, and she looked so horribly glad to see him that he thought his heart might break.

            "Kenshin!" she whispered gratefully.

            "What's wrong?" he rounded the sofa and sat in the space next to her. Shaking her head, Kaoru sobbed softly.

            "Daddy's dead."

^_^

_Notes_: Oh. A cliffhanger. Yeesh. And Saitou as a comic relief… gee. It's something you don't see all that often. Odd, but it came so easily to me.

Next chapter: In which Kaoru mourns, Kenshin hides, Sano feels stupid, Katsu begs, and psycho-cop tells stories of daring do.

And it's the return of the omake!

_Omake: Redundancy at its best (otherwise known as just plain stupid)_

**Narration**: It was an irrational fear, and she had no good reason for it. (As the sentence was originally typed.)

**Kaoru**: It was senseless, too!

**Kenshin**: Illogical?

**Kaoru**: And with no explanation.

**Sano**: I'm confused.

(Fitz: *sigh* It was one of those things I did not notice as I wrote it late one night, but when I reread it... well, it looked dumb.)

_Brief response to a some reviewers _(Again, thanks to everyone else for reviewing. If I have not responded to you, it's simply because I honestly have nothing to say that would be worthy of your time.):

**Neko Oni-chan**: Thank you for the observation on my writing style. That means a lot to me. I attended a lecture where the author said she was constantly growing as a writer, continually improving and working hard to achieve that. I truly believe this, and when I saw what you wrote it made me feel like my efforts have not been in vain.

**Jamaica**: Sano freaked out because Kaoru is a girl. Call him chauvinist. And spending one night with a person (half drunk no less) does not make anyone an expert on that person. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of men and women enter relationships with people they think are wonderful only to be beaten half to death a few months after their honeymoon. Just goes to show you never really know what's going on in a person's head.


	5. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer_: See chapter one.

_Notes_: Er… the beginning note for last chapter is something no one should take seriously. That's a result of me lashing out a bit. A lot of people probably don't read my notes and rants, so it's just as well. Maybe next time I'll attack every romantic pairing known to Rurouni Kenshin. I'm sure it would be a message no one would appreciate.

_Warnings_: Longer chapter. Some shounen ai… sort of. Kind of. A bit more than a little, but not excessive or involving sappy details like 'his lips were so soft, and he smelled like cheap perfume from Sears.' You know… the whole 'soft lips' or 'kiss-swollen lips' gets to me. It's like a cheap romance novel. And orbs. I _hate_ the word _orbs_. What really kills me is that I've used it. It's not romantic. It's cheesy and kind of gross. Suddenly a person's eyes turn into little glowing crystal balls. "I can tell the future if I look into your _orbs_. Oh. Oh my. Someday you'll require reading glasses."

Enough of that. Onward!

Broken Rules 

            Not long after Kenshin arrived, the police left. They were playing messenger, not conducting an investigation. From what little was said, Kenshin gathered there had been a car wreck, and Mr. Kamiya was one of three casualties. Beyond that, his only awareness was the distraught girl, proceeding to soak the shoulder of his oversized work shirt--Kaoru and the cops who muttered apologies as they left. Then, he was stuck until someone more qualified came along.

            Kenshin did not know what to do. He felt bad for Kaoru, but beyond that, he did not feel much. He could not allow himself to feel anything. Just that day he had told himself he would not.

            He spent twenty minutes with Kaoru clinging to his sleeves, her thin shoulders trembling with grief. By the time Sano came knocking, wondering what was happening, Kaoru was dozing. Kenshin had shifted on the sofa, letting the girl move as she wished, until they ended up huddled together near the far side. He was sitting almost normally, a pillow propped against his leg and Kaoru's head on the pillow. Weary from the events as well, Kenshin rested his head back on the cushion, letting his eyes fall shut. They opened again when the doorbell rang.

            Kaoru shifted, and Kenshin lifted his hand from her head, twisting to see Sano walking in as if he owned the place.

            Another twenty minutes passed while Kaoru sniffed and sobbed in Sano's arms, the taller man looking at Kenshin helplessly. Kenshin avoided his gaze, retreating to the kitchen to feed and water Cat. The cat did not immediately come, but he felt a little better knowing he had attended to the animal.

            He could hear Kaoru's crying from the kitchen. That she had abandoned him to seek solace in Sano's arms so readily did not surprise him. After all, the girl had told him much of her life story, and he knew she and Sano had been friends for nearly two years now. It made perfect sense that she would be more comfortable with him. People would always be more comfortable with someone else.

            A soft sound made Kenshin look down, and he smiled at the sight of Cat, lapping up the water he'd just placed out for her. There was a creature to admire. Animals took the days as they came and did not allow emotional hardships to encumber them. People could take a few lessons, Kenshin thought.

            Sano felt bad for Kaoru. Her father was her last living relative as far as he was aware (distant cousins not included). His death left her alone, a sizable insurance claim her only consolation when it came to knowing how she would continue on in the world.

            Sano knew how it felt to lose loved ones. His uncle was the only man he ever liked in his family, but the man died young. The tragedy struck the family hard. It was a tremendous scandal, his uncle having been shot to death under mysterious circumstances, and the rest of the family had rushed forward to bury it under mounds of paperwork. Years later, nothing was resolved, and the case was closed. The world forgot about it, and it was as if Sano's uncle had never been.

            Needless to say, Sano never received any comfort for his loss, unless an awkward pat on the shoulder from Katsu was considered a great act of compassion. He was happy to be able to help Kaoru when she was in mourning. He loved her dearly from day one, slinking into her life to play the role of big brother. It was comforting for him when she accepted his offer and let him help her. After all, not many other people wanted him around.

            By nightfall, Kaoru was sound asleep in her bed. Sano left her in her day clothes, not feeling right about changing them for her when she was so vulnerable. He just guided her under the covers, tucked the sheets up to her chin, and tiptoed out of her room as quietly as he could manage. Once the door was shut, he sighed gratefully and walked back into the living room.

            He stopped by the couch, sitting on the back of it against his better judgment. If Kaoru knew of his sin, she would have his head. But Kaoru was asleep, the door to her room tightly shut, leaving him alone in the apartment with Kenshin.

            Kenshin had not been any help at all once he arrived, and Sano could not help but feel annoyed. The man--kid as he considered him--had taken refuge in the kitchen and remained in there to Sano's knowledge. It was a cowardly act, Sano thought, despite the fact that Kenshin had been comforting Kaoru for some unknown time before he arrived.

            "She's in bed now," Sano announced quietly, waiting for Kenshin to return. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Kenshin appeared in the kitchen entrance, a small, humorless smile on his lips.

            "Is that a hint?" he asked.

            "You can come out of hiding if you want," Sano grunted. "You can go back in there for all I care."

            "I was not aware my presence was expected," Kenshin said cautiously. "I was under the impression that, me being the stranger in the house, it was not my place to involve myself in such a personal matter."

            "It's not," Sano agreed, then scowled when he realized what he had just said. Snorting impatiently, he shook his head. "Whatever."

            That said, he swung his leg over the back of the couch, the rest of his body following it until he flopped down on the cushions, heels resting comfortably on the coffee table. At his back, Kenshin stared at the young man solemnly. Sano glanced over his shoulder, and Kenshin smiled again.

            "Miss Kamiya is very lucky to have a friend like you," he declared.

            Eyes narrowing slightly, Sano nodded and turned to face the back door. Stretching lazily, he slung his arms over the back of the couch and let his head fall back, almost obscenely comfortable. He stared at the ceiling blankly, mind on the day.

            "Her dad was the last of her family," he said after awhile, not lifting his head even when he heard Kenshin moving toward him. "It's going to be hard."

            He expected a response, but all he received was silence. Glancing to the side, he caught sight of Kenshin, just barely in his periphery. The red-haired man stood quietly, and Sano got the distinct impression that he was uncomfortable.

            "You ever lost a parent?" he asked slowly. If Kenshin had indeed been a runaway, then the loss would be of his own doing.

            There was no reply at first, and Sano wondered if Kenshin had left. Lifting his head, he finally looked at him, curious when he saw Kenshin crouching on the floor next to Cat, stroking the animal's gray fur. Cat purred contentedly, and Kenshin sighed.

            "It is difficult to mourn the loss of someone you never knew," he said quietly. Lifting his head, he met Sano's uncertain stare and smiled sadly. "Sometimes I wish I could feel the sorrow of another person's loss. Like Miss Kamiya. But I never knew her father, so how could I miss him?"

            Sano frowned. For an instant, he thought he understood. Then, Kenshin brought Kaoru's father into the mix, and he lost track of the comment. It seemed to Sano that Kenshin was avoiding answering questions. The man eluded them so easily, smiling to charm his way out of tough situations. There must have been some way to get under Kenshin's skin, to shock the smile off his face. Sano thought it might be interesting to try, but he was not sure how.

            "What do you want from us, Kenshin?" he asked after awhile.

            Kenshin tilted his head, his smile growing puzzled.

            "I don't want anything, Sanosuke," he replied easily. "I will leave if ever Miss Kamiya wishes me gone."

            "No strings attached, huh?" Sano asked shrewdly.

            "There rarely are," Kenshin murmured, watching the cat wander away from him as she grew bored with his attention. Standing straight, he studied Sano seriously for a few seconds, much to the taller man's discomfort. When Sano was about to demand to know what Kenshin was staring at, he asked, "What do _you_ want?"

            Sano blinked.

            "What?"

            Kenshin brushed the fur off his hands, fingers tangling briefly in the excess material of his shirt. Stepping around the couch, he stopped near Sano, staring down at him with little expression on his face.

            _Pretty_, Sano thought distantly. _Too pretty for a man... but definitely a man._ He would never mistake Kenshin for female by looking at his face, he decided. He recalled his first meeting with Kenshin, then shoved the misconception away, blaming it on the poor lighting and pouring rain.

            Kenshin sat on the coffee table by Sano's feet, facing the man. The move put them almost at eye level with each other. Sano scowled.

            "What makes you think _I_ want something?" he asked suspiciously.

            The question seemed to startle Kenshin, and Sano mentally patted himself on the back for the accomplishment.

            "Why wouldn't you?" Kenshin tossed back. "Everyone wants something."

            "Something, yeah," Sano snorted. "But something from _you_?"

            Kenshin's bewildered look had faded, the smile nowhere to be found. His mouth was set in a tense line, eyes filled with nothing but weary truth and acceptance of that reality.

            "That's how it usually goes," he said solemnly.

            Sano almost winced at the statement. Lifting his feet from the coffee table, he sat forward, bringing himself closer to the man, the proximity more conducive to the sober conversation.

            "How long has it been since you've had a home, kid?"

            Kenshin's lips twitched slightly, as if he was trying not to smile. Sano thought maybe that was the case--that the urge was habitual, but they both knew it was inappropriate for the time.

            "Does it matter?"

            Sano scowled, opening his mouth to retort that yes, it did matter, and why the hell did he not seem to care at all?! But Kenshin beat him to it, a soft puff of air escaping him as his head dipped forward to bow in contemplation.

            "You know... I read once that home is where the heart is," he remarked, almost casually.

            Sano's frown lifted, and he studied the man uncertainly, wondering where the clichéd quote was taking him. Kenshin smiled suddenly, looking up at the confused man. Sano was caught in the hazy blue of Kenshin's eyes, startled at how close they really were, their noses only inches apart. It was intimidating, even when Sano was aware of how much larger than Kenshin he was. The gaze was gentle, but his eyes held an intensity Sano never imagined he would find in someone who was supposed to be little more than a bum.

            "You seem to know how to find this," Kenshin murmured, not moving away. Sano blinked slowly, resisting the urge to rest back in the couch again just to put some distance between them. If Kenshin could tolerate it, so could he. "You already have it."

            "Have what?" Sano asked, his voice nearly whisper soft as he struggled to understand what Kenshin was saying. He never claimed to be overly swift, but sometimes he wished he was quicker to comprehend others. So many times he was left out of the loop, his less than admirable wit struggling to keep up.

            "A home."

            Later, Sano would realize how stupid he was being, but at the moment, impulse drove him. He leaned forward, the move unexpected for both involved, closing the distance between himself and Kenshin. There was a brief moment of awareness, during which time Sano saw Kenshin's eyes widen, the man leaning back slightly in alarm, but Sano did not care at the moment. Some unknown force pushed him into this position, his hand moving without conscious thought to wrap around the back of Kenshin's neck, pulling the smaller man into him gently.

            Slowly, Sano's senses moved beyond the immediate feeling of his mouth against Kenshin's, his fingers in the man's long hair. He felt Kenshin's hands, one in his hair, the other twisting in the fabric of Sano's shirt. The grip in his hair was painful, but Sano dismissed that for the moment. It was the pulling of his shirt that made him pause, the collar of the crew-neck tee shirt cutting into his throat almost tight enough to make him gag. He pulled back.

            Inhaling sharply, Kenshin did not loosen his grip as Sano thought he would. Sano grimaced as his own movement caused Kenshin to pull sharply on his hair, but he forgot to protest when Kenshin rested his forehead against Sano's. Both breathing heavily, neither man said anything at first. Then, Kenshin spoke, his voice ragged from lack of air.

            "Is this what you want?"

            Something about the question made Sano hesitate. As impulsive as the action had been, he probably could have taken it further. However, the way Kenshin responded--his controlled violence, the tension in his body and voice--broke through the lust-filled haze, and Sano opened his eyes fully.

            Kenshin was not looking at him. The man's eyes were gazing in his general direction, but they were unfocussed and distant, his mind obviously far from the living room. Sano drew back further, stiffening when Kenshin's fist tightened in his shirt, the collar digging into the skin of his neck.

            "No," he whispered hoarsely.

            The reaction was immediate, the tension draining from Kenshin's body so rapidly it left him too weak to pull away. Sano's hair and shirt slipped from his fingers, and he sagged forward, Sano's hands the only things that kept him from slipping to his knees on the floor.

            "Good," Kenshin's response was barely audible and vastly relieved.

            He moved, hands pressing against Sano's shoulders until Sano released his neck and let his hand fall from Kenshin's side. Sano watched as the object of his tenuous desire stood, stumbling slightly as he walked around the couch. Reaching out immediately, Sano caught Kenshin's forearm, steadying him. Stilling under the touch, Kenshin glanced at Sano cautiously.

            "I'm sorry," Sano apologized sincerely. He was not sure if he had imagined the apprehension in Kenshin's eyes when it was gone just as quickly as he thought he had seen it.

            Kenshin smiled, nodding in acceptance. Sano frowned contemplatively.

            "What would you have done if I'd said yes?" he asked uneasily.

            The smile wilted, becoming visibly forced. Sano's frown deepened, and Kenshin stopped smiling.

            "I would have made you stop," he said quietly.

            "You couldn't, if I forced it," Sano shook his head incredulously. Kenshin's smile returned.

            "Don't worry so much, Sanosuke," he suggested. "It never happened, and we've lost no respect for each other." He glanced at the clock on the VCR. "It's getting late, and the day was long. We should be turning in."

            Feeling he was missing something, Sano just nodded in silent agreement and hefted himself off the couch.

            "I'll stay here tonight," he announced abruptly. He did not miss the way Kenshin's jaw clenched, and he shoved his hands into his pockets, thinking maybe he had scared the smaller man. "For Kaoru."

            Inclining his head slightly, Kenshin continued on his path to the office/guest room. Sano sighed loudly once the door closed, leaning back against the couch arm wearily. He had not handled the situation well, and despite Kenshin's words, he had the feeling the man would be wary around him from then on.

            Staring into the room, gray in the fading light, it occurred to him that he may not have been the first person to make such an advance on the somewhat effeminate redhead. He mused that he might not have even been the only _man_ to make a pass. After all, Kenshin was a good looking man. His looks were bound to draw some attention, even with that painful-looking scar on his face.

            Sano hit the couch arm lightly with the side of his fist, the mere force of his hand dropping back ineffectually to bounce against the cushioned surface. That was it. If he had wanted to throw Kenshin off, and he had done a very good job of doing it already, he had to ask about the scar. Maybe then he would have learned a bit more about the man instead of just scaring the ever living daylights out of him.

            "Damn."

            Katsu still was not pleased with his collection of photographs. Captain Fujita may have been an interesting, subtle guy, but on a two-dimensional surface, he just looked severe. The collection was not going to get him anything but another mocking glare from his professor.

            If he had not been desperate before, he was ready to stoop to degradation if it would help him now. Gathering his courage, he made his way across the hall to Kaoru's apartment. He knew Sano was there, having already been briefed on the situation the previous night before Sano returned to the girl's home. It would not stir up any trouble if he walked in as well.

            Sano, Kaoru, and Kenshin were all awake and having breakfast in the kitchen. That is, Kaoru and Sano were eating. Kenshin was standing by the counter with a cup of coffee in one hand, a page of the newspaper in the other. All three looked up when he walked in, inquisitive looks on their faces.

            "Good morning, Katsu," Kaoru greeted, smiling tiredly. Katsu responded in turn, murmuring a soft condolence as well. Kaoru bit her lip and nodded, returning to eating her cereal.

            "What's up, Katsu?" Sano asked directly. Katsu glanced to his friend, biting back an irritated retort. Sano always knew him too well. He sighed loudly.

            "My project is withering," he announced. "I'm going to lose this grade."

            Kaoru looked up, her eyes automatically moving to the man behind the Classifieds. Kenshin had lifted the paper and was hiding behind it.

            "I wish there was something we could do to help, Katsu," she said blandly.

            "I said I could do this with one model," Katsu complained. "And no one who agreed to it let me photograph them has been good enough."

            Sano glanced between the two. He had not missed Kaoru's discreet glance at the man behind him, and suddenly it fell into place. He smirked.

            "Why don't you ask Kenshin?" he asked a little louder than he would have normally. Looking back, he saw Kenshin's startled stare from around the newspaper. "I'm sure he'd be _glad_ to help you out."

            "I'm not--" Kenshin started to protest.

            "Would you?" Katsu smiled, the expression far more devious than friendly.

            "I don't know..." Kenshin looked at Kaoru and Sano, but they wanted him to do this almost as much as Katsu. They would be no help to him. Eyes darting to the door, he gave the impression of a cornered rabbit.

            "I would forever be in your debt," Katsu offered.

            "It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just--" Kenshin started again, watching in dismay as Katsu's face fell. He never expected the man to throw himself at his feet.

            "Kenshin, I'm desperate!" Katsu clenched his hands together in a crude form of prayer, lifting them to Kenshin in his pleading. "Please, _please_ do this for me!"

            Even Sano was shocked by the display. Kaoru was giggling helplessly, greatly amused by Kenshin's wide-eyed alarm. Having almost dropped his coffee, Kenshin ended up shoved into the corner where the countertops met, looking close to climbing up on them to get away from the man clutching at his shirt.

            "I'm begging here, Kenshin!" Katsu continued shamelessly. "This could be the deciding factor in my career! My very way of _life_ is a stake! I'll do anything if it'll convince you!"

            Sano was laughing along with Kaoru by that point, hunched over the back of his chair as he watched. The sight of Kenshin, apparently terrified and ready to bolt if only Katsu did not have a death grip on his shirt, was good enough for a laugh. Better yet was Katsu on his knees, clinging to Kenshin like a child to his mother when said child wanted the latest toy on the market. Sano was going to laugh himself into tears if Katsu started crying like so many children.

            And still, Kenshin was willing to turn him down.

            "Katsu, I really don't want--"

            "_Anything_!" Katsu pleaded urgently. "_Please_."

            "Okay!" Kenshin fumbled for something to hold onto when Katsu's weight threatened to drag him down. "_Okay_! I'll do it! Please let go, I'm going to--"

            He cut off in a startled yelp, his fingers suddenly slipping away from the countertop, and down he went. Sano was howling, greatly amused when both Kenshin and Katsu went down, collapsing in what looked to be a painful heap of limbs and newspaper.

            Katsu was not sure if he overestimated Kenshin's strength or underestimated how much force he was putting on the man. Either way, it did not end pleasantly, but for the fact that Kenshin had agreed to be photographed. He was not sure how it was possible, but he seemed to be on top of the smaller man while Kenshin was also on top of him. When he tried to push himself up, he found himself unable to get the leverage to push Kenshin off, yet he felt an arm under his back and a foot under his thigh. Kenshin's head was somewhere near his side, and he could hear the man's pained groan.

            "Owwww..." Kenshin grumbled, not pleased by the position. "Get off."

            "_You_ get off," Katsu retorted uncertainly. "I can't move."

            "You're on my hair... and my arm," came Kenshin's muffled reply.

            "Are you two okay?" Kaoru was the first to recover, Sano still snorting and drying his eyes. The young woman hurried to their sides, not successful in stifling her own giggles. "Katsu? Kenshin?"

            "He's heavier than he looks," Katsu grunted, nudging at Kenshin's side.

            "You're not light either," Kenshin jested weakly. "Um... help?"

            Laughing again, Kaoru gently maneuvered Katsu's arm to free Kenshin's hair. He sighed gratefully, squirming out from under Katsu. They sat up, glaring at each other in exasperation. Kenshin winced and rubbed the back of his head gingerly.

            "Are you okay?" Kaoru asked anxiously.

            "Fine," Kenshin climbed to his feet carefully, swaying slightly before straightening and smiling to back up his claim. "Just a little bruised."

            "Katsu, you'd better be paying Kenshin for this," Kaoru said sternly. "After putting him through that."

            "Fair enough," Katsu grinned, standing easily. He, on the other hand, had not slammed into the countertop on the way down. "Ready to start, Kenshin?"

            "Now?" Kenshin stared at him incredulously.

            "The sooner the better," Katsu nodded.

            "How about I shower first?" Kenshin requested.

            "We'll all appreciate you for it," Sano snickered.

            "I'm sure," Kenshin agreed, shaking his head in amusement before flinching and holding a hand to his head again. Sighing, he stumbled out of the kitchen to do as he said. Katsu smiled happily and sat in the free chair by the table, pleased with himself.

            "You're horrible," Kaoru said. "That was pretty funny."

            "The look on his face was priceless," Sano agreed. "I take it you didn't like psycho-cop?"

            "He just looks mean and angry in all the pictures," Katsu shook his head. He frowned, remembering something. "You know... he seemed kind of interested in this guy we've got staying here."

            "Kenshin?" Kaoru asked uncertainly. "Why?"

            "I don't know," Katsu shrugged, untroubled. "Just thought it was odd how he kept asking about it."

            "Kenshin got pretty edgy the other day when I mentioned the police," Kaoru recalled.

            "Maybe psycho-cop knows him," Sano suggested, frowning uneasily. "Stands to figure he's on the run. Maybe the police are on a lookout for him."

            The three stared at each other, none wanting to speak the dreaded possibilities. Katsu tapped his finger on the table distractedly, glancing to Sano. The man was usually very forward with accusations, but he had been unusually reticent when it came to Kenshin. Kaoru was equally hesitant, fond of the young man staying in her spare room and sympathetic for his situation. Katsu, of course, kept quiet for fear he would lose his reluctant model.

            "Are you going to need some help taking care of things for your father?" Katsu asked abruptly. He felt bad about changing to such a sensitive subject, but it seemed better than the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them.

            Kaoru nodded, eyes dimming as she swallowed with difficulty.

            "Thank you."

            "Anytime, Kaoru."

            Sano nodded as well, reaching out to rub the girl's arm comfortingly. She smiled gratefully, reaching for the paper she had been reading before Katsu arrived.

            None of them heard the soft tread of their ever-smiling guest as he retreated from the kitchen entrance to return to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, Kenshin sat on the edge of the bathtub. Kaoru was out of soap. He had been on his way to ask her about it, then decided against it after hearing their conversation. He could use the shampoo. Same stuff, he figured.

            Rubbing his eyes wearily, Kenshin stood again and took off his clothes. Stepping into the shower, he picked up the shampoo and started washing up.

            Sano sat at the kitchen table in the apartment he shared with Katsu. In front of him was a job application for UPS in the next town over. It was not his ideal job, but it paid well and was not overly far away. In order to afford to put himself through tech school, he needed to find a job that would pay for his food and rent as well as leave him with enough to put away. Katsu would not support him forever, no matter how close of friends they were.

            The application was mostly finished, but for the little things, like signing the bottom and putting his social security number at the top. Sano would write those down when he brought in the application Monday.

            His mind was not on the job, however. It was on Katsu and Kenshin, who had returned to the park that afternoon. He wondered if Katsu was just having Kenshin walk around, the same as he had made Sano do. He wondered why Kenshin had been so opposed to being photographed. He wondered what had ever possessed him to kiss the guy.

            Groaning miserably, though no one could hear him in his empty apartment, Sano flopped forward, his head thunking loudly on the table. For good measure, he lifted his head and clunked it against the table several more times.

            "I'm such an idiot!" he moaned.

            When it got right down to it, he barely knew Kenshin. They had met a week ago. In terms of forming relationships, Sano had gone much faster in the past, outright making out with his date on the first night. He knew better than to base a relationship on the physical alone. It always ended in one or the other getting hurt--feelings or physically. It was a thing he now avoided.

            So why had he advanced on Kenshin? He still did not know. The man had been close, the emotions high after Kaoru's crisis, and... Sano got carried away with it all. In hindsight, he wondered if Kenshin even went for that sort of thing. The majority of men did not, but Kenshin was a little off in many ways, Sano suspected. Even so, Kenshin had not been responding positively to him. The way Kenshin had nearly throttled him with his own tee shirt was proof enough. Plus, the man's relief had poured off him in waves when Sano backed off. He had not wanted any part of it.

            The sound of the front door opening pulled Sano from his morose contemplation, and he looked up. Katsu was talking, and judging by the way most of the words were muffled, he was not talking to Sano. The higher tone of Kenshin's voice followed, again mostly obscured. Katsu's sharp laughter brought Sano to his feet, and he went to greet them.

            "How'd it go?" he asked when they came into view.

            Katsu was grinning, kicking off his shoes and wasting no time in making his way into the apartment. Kenshin trailed after him, nodding politely at Sano.

            Sano wondered how the man could act so naturally around him, as if nothing had happened.

            "It was perfect," Katsu said, grinning like the boy who had just successfully defied the school bully. "You should have seen it, Sano. This guy's amazing."

            "I believe it," Sano grunted, glancing at Kenshin. There must have been something odd in his gaze because Kenshin flushed suddenly, looking away. Sano smirked. At least he was not the only one uncomfortable with the situation. Unaware of the exchange behind his back, Katsu continued.

            "He's been to _Rome_," Katsu continued. "Can you believe it?"

            "The outskirts," Kenshin added self-consciously. "It's not as nice as it sounds."

            "I'm going to make that art professor eat his words with vinegar," Katsu murmured with morbid cheer.

            "Sounds like you had a good time," Sano muttered, bewildered by Katsu's behavior. First it was that morning's wild display, and now he was practically skipping about with giddiness. Sano had never seen him behave in such a way.

            "Turns out Kenshin is quite the gymnast as well," Katsu mused as he made his way to the kitchen. "I'm making spaghetti for lunch. If you want any, speak now or forever hold your peace."

            Sano glanced at Kenshin, doubting the man would jump to ask for the food. Shrugging to himself, he grinned and followed Katsu into the next room.

            "Make enough for four," he said. "I'll get Kaoru over here."

            "Tell her _I'm_ cooking," Katsu added. "She can... relax or something."

            "Kaoru's cooking wasn't that bad," Kenshin offered, peering into the kitchen with a bemused smile. "I've certainly had worse."

            "Where?" Sano rolled his eyes. "Hospital food? Prison?"

            "No," Kenshin's smile wavered, jumping back into place as he chuckled quietly. "Hospital food is not that bad, though I wouldn't know about prison. It was actually someone I met some years ago. It was pretty much inedible."

            "Kaoru's cooking you can barely choke down," Sano reminded Kenshin.

            "Yes, but you _can_ eat it," Kenshin grinned when Sano lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Turning, Kenshin walked over to offer Katsu some assistance. Neither man looked up when the doorbell chimed through the apartment, both assuming Sano would get it. Shaking his head and smirking, Sano walked out of the kitchen.

            "Get your hair back before cooking our food!" he called back. "_Both_ of you!"

            "Yes, boss!" Katsu retorted.

            Sighing ruefully, Sano walked back to the front door. He suspected it would be Kaoru. She had mentioned speaking with the family lawyer that morning, and he figured she would need some time with her friends before returning to life's hardships. The man at the door was the last one he expected to see.

            "What the hell are _you_ doing here?" he demanded.

            Smirking at Sano's reaction, Captain Fujita stepped into the apartment without being invited. Offended but knowing full well what the cop could do to him if he retaliated, Sano held his tongue.

            "I agreed to let your friend follow me around earlier this week under the condition that I would see the end result," Fujita said calmly.

            "Tough luck, Captain," Sano grinned savagely. "He used someone else."

            Arching his eyebrow casually, Fujita's expression told Sano he did not care. Grunting irately, Sano shoved his hands into his pockets and trailed after Fujita, muttering that Katsu was in the kitchen.

            "Did I interrupt your lunch?" Fujita asked, his tone not remotely repentant. "Hello, Katsu. Ah!" the officer stopped, Sano nearly bumping into him from behind. Grumbling to himself, Sano poked his head around Fujita to see the cop and Kenshin staring at each other coolly. "You must be the girl's new roommate. Kenshin, was it?"

            Sano studied Kenshin apprehensively. He recalled the conversation from that morning. Was it his imagination, or was that a flicker of fear he saw in Kenshin's eye? It seemed not, but when Kenshin smiled suddenly, his lips pulled back ever so slightly, baring his teeth in what could be nothing but a snarl.

            "That's me," he said, voice as friendly as ever. "You must be psycho-cop."

            Sano's eyes widened in shock. Where had Kenshin heard that? Maybe Kaoru told him.

            Fujita laughed, a sharp bark of noise that startled Katsu and Sano. The pair looked at each other uneasily then back to Fujita and Kenshin. Fujita was obviously amused, his eyes opened wider than usual, sparking with anticipation.

            "Captain Goro Fujita," he stated, offering his hand in amiable greeting. "And you're Kenshin..."

            "Lee," Kenshin said quickly, accepting the handshake. His knuckles went white, his hand gripping Fujita's tightly as the cop returned the favor. "A pleasure, Captain."

            "The pleasure is _all_ mine, I'm sure," Fujita replied smoothly.

            The silence following that statement was painful. Sano and Katsu glanced at each other again, wondering at the improbable pair between them. Kenshin and Fujita were still caught in a bruising handshake, the tension between them plain to see. Both men were smiling, but Kenshin's was strained, and Fujita's looked unnatural on his face.

            "So," Katsu's voice was loud, breaking the silence. "You staying for lunch, Captain Fujita?"

            Releasing Kenshin's hand, Fujita looked over the man's shoulder to the taller boy behind him. The calculating stare was one Katsu had endured many times over, but still he had to work not to flinch. Fujita's eyes returned to Kenshin. He smirked.

            "Yes."

            Fujita was enjoying himself. He had shocked the redhead when he arrived, of that he was certain. It pleased him greatly to have his suspicions confirmed when he arrived that day. Years of searching had not paid off. Chance had dropped the coveted quarry into his lap.

            And yet, he held back. All he had to do was flash his badge, drag out the handcuffs, and years of fruitless hunting would be rewarded. But Kenshin had not run. No, the man was up to something, and Fujita intended to find out what it was.

            To bide his time and cause his foe greater discomfort, he dined with them, regaling them with tales of his past jobs. Fujita was not a good storyteller by any stretch of imagination, but telling the near truth changing nothing but names and places, he was nearly successful. He acquired his goal of making Kenshin more nervous, which was far more amusing to him than entertaining two schoolboys.

            "He had a code name," Fujita explained his favorite case. He had not been a police officer at the time, but he did not need to tell the two boys that. Kenshin knew well enough. "You three must have been too young to be reading the newspapers at the time, or you'd already know it."

            "What was it?" Katsu asked curiously. Surprisingly, it was Kenshin who answered.

            "Battousai," he said quietly. "It was Battousai."

            "You read the articles, then," Fujita said, his smile knowing. Kenshin's stare was just barely civil.

            "He was a murderer of epic proportions," he replied. "I did not have to read the papers to know that much."

            "There were only ever two witnesses to his kills," Fujita continued, nodding curtly at Kenshin's input, even as he was smiling inwardly. "A man and a woman. Both are dead now, killed by Battousai himself."

            "Whoa," Sano muttered.

            "Did you guys catch him?" Katsu asked, intrigued by the mystery.

            "No," Fujita smirked, looking to Kenshin. "But we're close. We're _very_ close."

            Kenshin gazed at Fujita calmly, a faint smile finally lightening his features.

            "I wish you luck, Captain Fujita," he murmured. "It sounds like you'll need it."

            Nodding again, Fujita continued to eat the spaghetti. His good humor had dissipated as he slowly came to a conclusion regarding Kenshin's odd behavior.

            The man was using these kids as a shield. It seemed contrary to previous performances. He had never needed hostages before, whether or not they were aware of their status, and for him to surround himself with innocents was unusual. Then again, his sudden flight had been unusual from the start. No one had ever expected him to disappear after so many years of loyal service.

            The clock over the oven declared it time for Fujita to return to his shift. He stood, excusing himself with proper politeness when the other three looked at him in confusion. Tucking his napkin under the edge of his plate, he looked to Kenshin once more.

            "Mr. Lee," he said tersely.

            "Captain," Kenshin replied, equally distant.

            "You need not worry about the capture of Battousai," Fujita could not resist the opportunity to have the last word. "I expect to have him in cuffs before the week begins."

            Kenshin smiled.

            "I'll believe that when I see it."

            So much for having the last word. Fujita left in a sour mood.

            The cot which had looked so inviting a week ago suddenly looked more threatening than a loaded gun. Kenshin sat on the desk--never used by its owner to his knowledge--staring at the cot and Cat, curled up so comfortably upon it.

            "You like it here, don't you?" Kenshin asked softly. Forever ago, he had slept on a nice bed in a comfortable room. It was far better accommodations than this place--fit for royalty--but at a price he was unwilling to pay. Kaoru's home was warm and welcoming while that place had been cold and forbidding. He did not want to return.

            "I have to leave, Cat," he whispered.

            The cat, of course, did not understand what he was saying. She just blinked at him before closing her eyes for the night. Kenshin sighed and looked down. There was a small frame by his leg, and he picked it up, studying the picture under the light provided by the small desk lamp. It was Kaoru, as he had expected, but there was a man beside her with his arm around her shoulders. The man looked too old to be her brother or boyfriend, and Kenshin guessed him to be a relative. Judging by that black hair, he was the girl's deceased father.

            Kenshin gently returned the photograph to it place on the desk. It reminded him of his session with Katsu that morning. Letting Katsu photograph him had been a mistake. No matter how much Katsu begged, he never should have allowed it. They were evidence that would cause him problems if they were ever to land in outside hands. Fujita's hands, perhaps. It pained him to think it, but he was going to have to destroy those photographs.

            "I like it here, too," he slid off the desk, picking up his bag as he went. His new clothes were folded neatly on the cot, recently washed he was grateful to know. He put them in his bag, zipping the sack shut and resting it against the cot. Still, he could not bring himself to lay in that bed. Returning to the desk, he resumed his perch on its surface. Kaoru might not like him taking such liberties with her furniture, but he would be gone the next day anyway. It was difficult to complain to someone who was not there.

            "I don't want to leave either, Cat."

            Sano was sleeping uncomfortably, stretched out on the couch. He decided sleeping on the furniture worked for long naps and the likes but not for an entire night. It just was not conducive to a healthy rest. Turning onto his back, he tried to avoid getting stuck in the cushions and mostly succeeded, but he had to shift a few more times before he was content enough to close his eyes.

            Kaoru needed a new couch, he thought grumpily. This one was lumpy and thin. He would not get a wink of sleep on this thing. Sano thought he might be better off on the floor. It must have really been bad because he noticed something on his shoulder, and that was not even in contact with the couch. And _that_ was impossible.

            Jerking fully awake with a gasp, Sano lurched upward instinctively. A hand against his shoulder forced him back down. With a surprised grunt, he lashed out blindly, fist connecting with something in his careless reaction.

            The person touching him grunted and fell back, hitting the coffee table with a muted thud. Heart pounding, Sano sat up to face the intruder, fist ready to strike again.

            "Wait!"

            He halted, staring incredulously at the shadowed person a short distance from him. The man had his hands up in a staying gesture, and he was staggering, trying to get back to his feet.

            "Kenshin?" he asked uncertainly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

            "Something stupid, obviously," Kenshin grumbled, hands lowering, one going to rub his jaw tenderly. "That hurt."

            "Yeah, sorry about that," Sano muttered, only half in sincerity. "What's up? Something wrong?"

            "No," Kenshin pushed himself up, stumbling when he was upright. Sano reached out automatically, catching him before he could fall again. "Geez. I haven't been hit that hard in years."

            "That'll teach you to sneak up on people in the dark," Sano retorted, standing up as well. Kenshin pulled away, grabbing the couch for support until he could remain steady. "You okay?"

            "Yeah," Kenshin touched his face with a wince. Sighing, he let his hand drop. "Take a walk with me, Sanosuke. We need to discuss a few things."

            Sano may have been confident enough to invite the short stranger to spend the night in his apartment, but he was not a complete idiot. If his sore knuckles were any indication, he had dealt a powerful blow to the redhead's jaw--one which should have left him out cold on the floor where he fell. Despite that, Kenshin was standing, walking around with only a slight stagger which was rapidly disappearing. No ordinary man could take that kind of abuse so easily.

            "It's cooler in here," Sano pointed out.

            "There's more privacy outside," Kenshin replied.

            "Kaoru's asleep."

            "Are you afraid of me, Sanosuke?" The soft edge of amusement made Sano's face heat with embarrassed fury.

            "You wish!" he growled. "Fine. Let's go."

            Kenshin followed silently, and the door clicked shut quietly behind them.

            "Who hit you that hard before?"

            Sano asked the question on impulse, his thoughts solemn as they walked across the brightly lit parking lot toward the street. Across the quiet boulevard was a small park, one where Kaoru often liked to sit and relax, Sano knew.

            "You wouldn't know of him," Kenshin replied quietly.

            "What's his name?" Sano urged carelessly. "If I ever hear it, I'll punch his lights out."

            "I already tried that, but thank you," Kenshin chuckled softly, the gentle sound carrying across the deserted street. It faded, and he sighed. "He's stronger than you anyway."

            "I'll believe _that_ when I see it," Sano replied scornfully. "You're stronger than you look, too."

            "Yes," was all Kenshin said in reply to that observation.

            Sano studied the shadowed features of the man beside him, but it was useless. If he could not read Kenshin in the light, he would be unable to do it in the dark.

            "What's up, Kenshin?" he asked, driving straight to the point.

            "Let's sit here," Kenshin suggested, following his own advice as he settled down on a park bench. Gazing down in confusion, Sano shrugged and slouched back into the chair beside Kenshin.

            "What's going on, kid?"

            "You keep calling me kid, but you can't possibly believe that," Kenshin murmured with a soft snort that might have been interpreted as a laugh. Sano was not sure. "You didn't believe that last night, did you?"

            "That was a mistake," Sano said too quickly, wincing at the harshness of his words.

            "Yes," Kenshin sighed. "Yes, it was. If I had any sense whatsoever, I would have walked out right then. Unfortunately, I'm blind to the proper course, thus why I always seem to turn down the wrong path."

            "You've lost me, Kenshin," Sano complained. Kenshin glanced at him briefly before turning his gaze forward. He stared at the swing set, a mix of dark poles and black shadows in the night. A friendly place to play during the day, it loomed threateningly in the darkness.

            "I want to tell you something, Sanosuke," Kenshin said, voice low and uncertain. "Something I've never told anyone else."

            "Whoa, whoa!" Sano laughed nervously. "Why all this all of the sudden? I barely know you."

            "You're hardly the one to be preaching to me about that," Kenshin replied coolly, and Sano flinched. The man had a point. "I need to tell someone. You're the only one I've met so far who I feel I can trust."

            "Why?" Sano demanded apprehensively. "Why me? Why not Kaoru?"

            "She's got enough problems," Kenshin shook his head. "And you're the only one who ever gave me something without asking for anything in return. So... so I want to tell you this... because you deserve to know."

            "If you're going to spout out some profession of love--"

            "Don't be so arrogant," Kenshin laughed abruptly, choking it back quickly and glaring at his startled companion. "I've told someone I loved her before."

            "Yeah, well..." Sano fumbled for a response, embarrassed by his earlier comment and unwilling to admit it. "Where's she, then? She dump you or something?"

            "She's dead."

            Sano had the feeling he would continue to shove his foot in his mouth if he did not shut up soon. He never was one to pay attention to common sense, however, so he spoke again.

            "Sorry," he muttered. Kenshin looked at him and nodded solemnly. Though he knew it was rude, he had to know. "How'd that happen?"

            Kenshin stared at him, his gaze flat and impassive. Sano had a mental image of himself with a shoe sticking out from between his teeth, and he almost laughed at the sheer stupidity of his words. It seemed to him that no matter what he did, how he acted, what words he used, he always managed to come off looking like a complete idiot in front of Kenshin.

            Still, he waited, wondering what he would answer, _if_ he would answer. Kenshin looked away again, releasing a shuddering sigh. Sano reached for him unthinkingly, hoping to ease whatever stress would cause the young man to make such a sound. His hand froze, inches from Kenshin's face as the response finally came.

            "Do you remember what Saitou said about Battousai today?"

            Retracting his hand slowly, half afraid something would reach out and grab it, Sano stared at Kenshin uncertainly.

            "What's that got to do with anything? Who's Saitou?"

            "Saitou?" Kenshin blinked blearily, looking over to Sano with the hazy expression of someone just waking from a dream. His smile was gone. Sano had only seen it briefly since they had left the apartment, and that had been a sad, bitter-looking thing. The coldness on Kenshin's face now was unexpected, the hot fury in his eyes shocking. "He's a killer just as much as Battousai. He just works for the so-called good guys. It's all politics anyway. I never understood that part."

            "You know a lot more about this Battousai thing than you let on before," Sano grumbled. His chest was tightening, anxiety eating away at him. Something was very wrong with this situation, and he was not certain what it was. Kenshin's reaction to his guess proved he was getting close but not quite there. "You have a run-in with all those people before?"

            "It's a little more complicated than that," Kenshin glanced away again. The swings were swaying slightly in the breeze, lonely without the cheer of children and daylight. "Saitou would love to see me dead."

            Sano snorted.

            "You!" he scoffed. "Come on, Kenshin. What's this all about? You're just a kid."

            "You know what they said annoyed Saitou to no end?" Kenshin asked, ignoring Sano's careless reply.

            "You had something to tell me," Sano interjected, hoping to get past the present conversation. It was making him uncomfortable, making him doubt himself. Had Kenshin worked for this Saitou character? For Battousai himself?

            "I'd get to it if you stopped interrupting me," Kenshin replied mildly.

            "Sorry."

            "Fine," Kenshin shrugged, drawing his legs up suddenly to sit 'Indian style' on the bench. Running his fingers along the frayed seams of his pants, he was quiet for a few seconds, recalling what he had been saying. "Saitou... Saitou never liked that he was getting outsmarted by Battousai."

            "No kidding," Sano grunted.

            "Because Battousai," Kenshin continued as if Sano had never spoken, "was just a kid."

            Sano stared at Kenshin.

            "How do you know all this?" he asked, not caring for the knowledge Kenshin was displaying. "Where did you hear all this? I never even knew there was a Battousai."

            "Like your psycho-cop said," Kenshin said slowly. "It was common knowledge, but they made light of it... like it was a common occurrence. Politics, like I said. I never understood it. It's just so messy."

            They fell into a tense silence, neither man looking at the other. Kenshin's silence was expected. Sano thought the man was uncomfortable with serious conversation. Kenshin always seemed to clam up when talk turned somber. Even though he initiated it, Kenshin still seemed to be struggling with it.

            Sano kept quiet because he was trying to figure out what was wrong with Kenshin's explanations. Something the man had said did not fit, but Sano could not put his finger on it. Problem solving had never been his forte, and he was always the first to admit it. He could make problems easily enough, but when it came to fixing them, he was less than second-rate.

            "You know..." Sano said finally, voice cutting through the night, the effect similar to a pillow hitting the floor. It was not particularly loud, but it was noticeable. "You've told me a whole lot of worthless stuff, Kenshin."

            "I'm sorry you feel that way."

            "You said you'd tell me something you never told anyone else," Sano glanced at the man shrewdly. "The way I figure it, you're not telling me anything I can't get out of an old newspaper somewhere. If it's really common knowledge like you say."

            "You make a valid argument," Kenshin sighed.

            "So... you're not holding up your end of the deal," Sano said confidently. "I want you to tell me one thing... and I'm willing to bet you've never told anyone this either."

            "What's that?" Kenshin asked, rising to take the bait sluggishly. He was tired, and it was easily detectable in his soft voice, words rounded slightly when he dropped his head forward so wearily as he was doing at the moment.

            "Hold on," Sano smirked when Kenshin lifted his head, staring back in bewilderment. "You string me along, so now I'm going to make you wait."

            "I didn't think--"

            "Damn right," Sano cut him off, pleased by the startled blink followed closely by a soft smile. "So what have you done?"

            "What have I done?" Kenshin echoed, shaking his head to show he did not understand the question.

            "Were you a bookstore clerk all your life?" Sano tilted his head back, staring at the hazy sky. Still grinning, he glanced to the side to see Kenshin watching him.

            "No," Kenshin sighed, looking down into his lap again.

            "So... what have you done?" Sano prompted. Kenshin laughed, sounding only half amused.

            "Whatever it took to survive," he replied. "Not many skilled jobs, granted, but little things."

            "Like what?"

            "Um... I tried being a lifeguard," Kenshin said accommodatingly. "Bartender, some secretarial stuff... I worked in a movie theater once."

            "What'd you do if you couldn't find a job?" Sano asked curiously. "Go homeless?"

            "Ah... I had a few offers every now and then," Kenshin countered. He snorted, shaking his head in disgust. "Some of them thought that just because I didn't have any money I was desperate enough to do anything. I turned those people down."

            "Sounds dangerous," Sano murmured.

            "You get used to that," Kenshin smiled faintly.

            "Ever been hurt?"

            It was such an innocent question. Sano did not anticipate the silence that followed it. Eyes sliding to the side to consider his quiet companion, Sano considered the simple inquiry. Kenshin's reticence seemed to imply that he had touched on a sensitive subject.

            "That the question you wanted to ask?" Kenshin replied finally, voice low and expression cautious. Sano frowned.

            "No."

            "Then I don't think I'll answer that."

            "Wait a minute!" Sano sat up abruptly, twisting to glare down at the other man incredulously. "What the hell does that mean?"

            "Just what it sounds like," Kenshin shrugged. "What do you think?"

            "You've been hurt?" Sano demanded. "What happened?"

            "One thing, Sanosuke," Kenshin said neutrally. "I won't answer the next question if you push this one."

            "Fine," Sano snapped. "How'd you get hurt?"

            "Relax." A touch of a hand against Sano's chest urged him to back off. Sano grunted unhappily and crossed his arms, scowling at the man.

            Soft laughter washed over Sano. He stared at Kenshin, appalled by the gentle display of mirth.

            "What?" he growled. "What's so funny?"

            "Nothing," Kenshin sighed, laughter fading. "You just surprised me. No one ever cared enough to react so violently before."

            "You're fucked up, Kenshin," Sano decided irately. "What happened? How'd you get hurt?"

            "It shouldn't be that surprising," Kenshin said readily. "Being alone at night in big cities... it's not uncommon for someone like me to be jumped. I know I look like an easy target."

            "You are if you got hurt!"

            "Those people rarely got in more than a couple punches," Kenshin waved him off. "There were others... who got closer. More often than not people are honest, so it must just be my bad luck that I encountered so many people who were not."

            Sano growled, his active imagination providing plenty of brutal images of Kenshin getting hurt. He could easily picture the small man trapped, broken and bleeding from a vicious beating. Mugging, kidnapping, assault... it seemed likely Kenshin would be susceptible to all of them.

            "You know how long it's been since I've been on a swing set?" Kenshin's light question broke through Sano's dark thoughts, and the man blinked, startled to find Kenshin off the bench and in the process of sitting on one of the swings several yards away.

            _When did he move?_

            Following Kenshin over to the playground area, Sano decided he had been right about the man. Kenshin was always slipping out of uncomfortable situations, offering his big smile and a cheerful comment.

            "Hey... you never really answered the question," Sano told him, hand closing around one of the metal chains from which the swing hung. Kenshin laughed, a soft sound... almost a giggle, Sano noted with some amusement. He grabbed the other chain and pulled the swing back, Kenshin still laughing and clinging tight as his feet left the ground.

            "Come on, Sanosuke," Kenshin replied carelessly. "No one's ever pushed me on the swings before."

            "The kids must have hated you," Sano retorted, shoving Kenshin forward. Kenshin gasped in surprise, feet kicking up dust before he lifted them out of the way. Seconds later, Sano's hands hit his back again, and he was propelled forward once more.

            Sano let the questions drop for the time, understanding on some level what he had not realized before. Kenshin was far more private than he first let on. His cheer and unending patience distracted a person from the darker side of him. But Sano had seen it--an instant where his eyes had gone bright with a sudden and unexpected flash of ferocity. He knew there was far more to Kenshin than the man would easily admit.

            "Stop," Kenshin's gentle rebuke brought their game to a halt. Sano caught the chains, Kenshin's momentum not ending until he swung back to hit him. Shoes grinding across dirt announced the end of the swinging.

            Sano stiffened, stunned to his toes when he felt the gentle pressure of Kenshin leaning back against him. It was an unusual thing to do considering the rejection Kenshin had presented the previous night. Sano held his breath, not sure how Kenshin would react if he moved.

            All pretense of merriment gone, Kenshin sighed softly.

            "I'm tired," he murmured.

            "Long day," Sano predicted, still tense with the man's warm back against his stomach, hair crumpling between Kenshin's head and his chest.

            "Yeah," Kenshin sighed again. "I don't want to leave this place, Sanosuke."

            "We can come back tomorrow."

            A breathy, bitter laugh was his response.

            "Can we?"

            Frowning, Sano nodded. The night was wearing on him, the stress of not knowing upsetting. Deciding it was time to put an end to it, Sano released the chains of the swing, the unexpected move throwing Kenshin off balance. The man on the swings sucked in his breath as he shifted forward suddenly, not half as surprised as he was when Sano reached down and caught the back of his shirt.

            "What--!" Kenshin gasped, then yelped as Sano lifted him, easily throwing his meager weight up. Arms swinging out for purchase, Kenshin was at a disadvantage, having his back to Sano. The larger man grinned and swung him around carelessly, not surprised when Kenshin's flailing hands finally caught hold of his shirt.

            "Hang on tight," he ordered, jogging toward the road. Panting with the shock of it, Kenshin wrapped his arms around Sano's neck and did just as the man ordered, not resisting when Sano reached back and dragged his legs up higher for better leverage. "Ever gotten a piggyback, kid?"

            "Not really," Kenshin replied, sounding out of breath. He rested his head against Sano's shoulder, the rest of his mumbled words barely audible. Straining to hear him, Sano blinked when the words finally registered. "God... I don't want to leave."

            Forcing a laugh, Sano ran across the street.

            "Almost there, Kenshin!"

            Kaoru had a busy day ahead of her. She had already called the restaurant to let them know she was taking a few personal days. The manager had been sympathetic, offering her best wishes and telling her to take as much time as she needed. Kaoru hoped she would be able to return soon. What she needed was something to keep her mind off her loss.

            That Sunday, though, she had to speak with the funeral director, the neighboring flower shop, and make numerous calls to extended family members. She was not fond of the distant relatives and did not look forward to speaking with them.

            Rising early--insanely so, she thought--she padded out into the kitchen to make some coffee. Smiling tiredly, she recalled that Sano was still camping out on her living room couch. He had been so nice to her since she got the news Friday. She made a mental note to get him something to show her gratitude.

            Kaoru passed Kenshin's room on her way down the hall, and she hesitated at the closed door. He rarely left it open while he was in it, implying he was still sleeping. Rightfully so, she thought, but she heard the plaintive mewls of a cat through the door. She only ever heard the cat complain like that when it was hungry or particularly lonely. If Kenshin was around, the cat never made any noise but for content purring. Kaoru thought it was cute how the animal followed Kenshin around. If Cat was awake, she was looking for the man, going so far as to sit outside the door while Kenshin was in the bathroom. True, she had only seen the cat do that once, but she had been laughing hours later over it.

            Not wanting to intrude upon Kenshin's privacy, Kaoru moved as quietly as she could manage, gripping the doorknob and pushing it in. The instant the door was open far enough, a gray streak rushed past her toward the kitchen. Sighing in weary amusement, Kaoru pulled back, drawing the door shut.

            She stopped.

            _Don't be stupid, Kaoru_, she squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling sharply. _It's just Kenshin. He's probably sleeping. Leave him alone._

            The door shut, and Kaoru leaned forward against it with a sigh. Curiosity ate at her. The desire to see him sleeping, to see if he really smiled in his slumber or if it was just a mask like Sano and Katsu said. She was certain it was in his nature to be so kind and gentle. Yet... Sano and Katsu were so cautious, joking around with the man, taking him along on little ventures, but neither would offer more than amiable, _temporary_ companionship.

            Kaoru felt sorry for him. She did not understand how such a friendly young man could end up destitute and alone but for one pathetic little cat as a friend. What was more, she wondered how he could take such a hand and still be so happy. No matter what happened, he would have a smile. Kaoru truly hoped that was the case though she knew it was almost impossible. No one could take such a life for long without showing some signs of suffering.

            Opening her eyes, Kaoru stepped away from the door, leaving the man to his sleep. The cat was hungry, she was sure, or it would not have been complaining to get out. It made her pause. Even when obviously hungry, Cat usually did not complain as long as she was with Kenshin. It was odd.

            Sano was still on the couch, feet up on one arm rest, his head against the opposite end. He was snoring, the position awkward enough to force the unpleasant sound from him. Kaoru smiled, touching a finger to her lips to hold back a giggle. Her smile faded when her gaze fell on a familiar figure near the entrance to the kitchen.

            It explained why Cat had been crying so vehemently. If Kenshin had been in the room, asleep or not, Cat would have been silent. But there sat Kenshin, slouched back against the wall in what looked to Kaoru to be an uncomfortable position. His head had fallen forward, chin nearly to his chest. One leg was bent up slightly, his state of relaxation causing it to droop until it almost appeared that he had been sitting 'Indian style' from the beginning.

            Cat was sitting beside him, but he did not move, unaware of the animal's presence. Kaoru wondered how long he had been sleeping like that, startled that he would even consider staying there when he had a perfectly comfortable bed just down the hall.

            He looked exhausted. His face was pale--whiter than usual, anyway--a deep purple smudging the delicate skin beneath his eyes.

            He did not stir when Kaoru tiptoed past him to the kitchen. Only once the coffee pot started gurgling, the rich scent of the drink filling the apartment, did he begin to show signs of consciousness. A soft sigh alerted Kaoru to his sluggish awareness, and she quickly snatched up a mug. The coffee maker paused in it's bubbling while she had the pot, restarting once she returned it to the heater. Hers was a quality coffee maker.

            Leaning down with the mug, she held it under Kenshin's nose, smiling warmly when his eyelids fluttered and opened. He stared at the dark swirl of liquid for a moment, eyes blank before sighing and lifting his hands, trembling slightly with weariness, to take the mug from her.

            "Thank you," he mumbled.

            "You were really out of it," she held the drink until she was certain his hands were steady enough to hold it. Sitting back on her heels, she looked at him, concern bright in her honest gaze. "Are you okay?"

            Holding the mug in both hands, the ceramic warming his fingers, Kenshin looked over to her. Kaoru's breath caught in her throat. For an instant, she stared into his unguarded face. Then, he smiled, and it was gone. Kaoru's eyes stung, struck by the sudden desire to cry. She had hoped Sano and Katsu were wrong. She really wanted this happiness not to be a mask. Desire and truth often clashed, she had to admit, though it was with great reluctance.

            "Miss Kamiya?" Kenshin's smile had dissolved into a look of worry. "What's wrong?"

            Sucking in a trembling breath, Kaoru shook her head and stood, wiping at the tears that had so suddenly spilled down her cheeks. The sound of a coffee mug scraping along the countertop followed her, and she turned just as Kenshin released the drink, letting it rest by the sink. He was ready to inquire as to the problem again, but Kaoru did not want to hear it. If he asked, she would answer truthfully. She was afraid of what his reaction would be, so she could not allow him to voice his concern.

            Kenshin staggered back as her body hit his, his eyes widening as her arms tightened around his, trapping them at his sides. Kaoru hands fisted in the back of his shirt, twisting the material roughly while her tears dampened the shoulder. She cursed her weakness and shuddered when he cautiously wrapped his arms around her waist, whispering her name--so formally as was his wont. She shook her head, biting back any betraying words.

            He would think it was her father. That was true to some extent. The stress was getting to her, the loss still fresh in her heart. She was sensitive to changes around her, reacting with tears where normally she would force a smile or angrily berate the offender. That Kenshin was trying to comfort her was distressing when all she wanted to do was hold him and tell him he did not have to hide behind that smile. Not for her. Not for Sano or Katsu. They would understand.

            "Hey..." Sano's voice rose behind her, lazy from just waking and filled with uncertainty. "Kaoru? Kenshin, what's wrong?"

            "I don't know..." Kenshin's voice was soft and unobtrusive, as if he was trying to speak without her hearing.

            Kaoru sniffed, lifting her head and attempting to compose herself.

            "Sorry," she released Kenshin abruptly, swallowing with difficulty when he stumbled from the shift in balance, his hands quickly retreating to his sides when she stepped back. "I'm sorry. I didn't--"

            "It's okay," Kenshin said quickly, glancing to Sano uneasily before looking back to her. "It's still new."

            Her father's death. He _did_ think she was crying over her father. Only in part, she was almost ashamed to know. Who was she to cry over a man she hardly knew when one who had been her rock, her daddy--the man who called her princess even in public--her father had died so horribly just days before?

            Sano was the one who rushed to comfort her. She should have expected it. Kenshin never tried to be close to any of them, no matter what the circumstance. She knew it would be the case, even understood his desire for distance, but it did not lessen the pain. Sniffing again, she shook her head and brushed away Sano's attempts to dry her cheeks and hold her.

            The soft chime of the doorbell filled the apartment. Sano sighed, stepping back reluctantly when it sounded again.

            "That's probably Katsu," he observed. "I'll get it. You going to be okay, Kaoru?"

            "Yeah," she nodded quickly, reaching for a paper towel. The tissues were in the bathroom, but that would mean walking past the door while Sano was opening it, and she wanted to collect herself before Katsu came in.

            Beside her, Kenshin lifted his cup of coffee and held it out to her. Kaoru could not help but smile at the gesture. He had not drunk from the mug yet, but he could have just as easily poured her a different cup. Instead, he offered his own.

            _Of course_, Kaoru thought, her smile growing larger with a giggle. _He could just be too lazy to find a new cup._

            Glancing up, she saw Kenshin smiling at her hopefully. Reaching for the mug, she nodded her gratitude. He really was considerate, she thought.

            "Hey!" Sano's voice rose suddenly, his tone doubting as he called back into the apartment. "Kaoru, you know a Katsura?"

            The mug slipped past Kaoru's fingers, and she watched in shock as it fell, liquid splashing up, inertia causing it to resist the drop for an instant. Kenshin's hand pulled away from the cup in the instantaneous reaction of a man who had been burned. Kaoru's eyes on the dropping mug, she caught the movement of the man's feet as he backed away.

            The sounds of ceramic shattering against the floor and a body slamming into the cabinets could scarcely be separated. Dazedly Kaoru looked up, eyes round as she took in the ashen face and immense, dilated violet eyes. Her mouth formed his name, her throat refusing to produce any sound. By her feet, a gray cat meowed, asking for answers.

_Notes_: Damn. Another cliffhanger. Don't kill me for the shounen ai, K/K lovers. Originally this was written for a yaoi contest, but the story mutated, and the yaoi part ran away from me. Now it's something else entirely which really can't be labeled shounen ai, yaoi, or straight canon. Ignore all pairings if you will and focus on individual characters. They like the attention.

Omake: Typo #1 

**Narration**: He felt Kenshin's hands, one in his head--

**Kenshin**: /reaches into Sano's head/

**Saitou**: (who just happens to be watching the make-out session ) Careful, Battousai. He doesn't have much to begin with.

**Kenshin**: /ignoring Saitou, pulls various items out of Sano's head/ Hmmm... sake jug, umbrella, miniature zanbatou, actual zanbatou... how'd he fit that in here?

**Sano**: There's a lot of room for storage in there.

**Kenshin**: You shouldn't be admitting that.

**Sano**: Could you get your hand out of my head now?

(Fitz: Yes, that was what I originally wrote. I _meant_ to put hair.)

Omake: A scary typo… 

**Narration**: Fujita was obviously amused, his eyes opened wider than usual, sparkling with anticipation.

**Saitou**: /big, sparkling eyes/ This is so exciting!

**Kenshin et al**: /horrified/

**Sano**: Get him away from me!

**Kenshin**: He is kind of creepy with sparkly eyes.

**Saitou**: /scowling again/ Can't I have a little fun?

**Kenshin et al**: NO!

Reviewers:

Forgive me if I don't answer questions on pairings. I'm trying to avoid the topic because it annoys me and nasty things come out when I do address it.

And to Captain-Overkill, who mentioned many things worth commenting on… /twiddles fingers/ there are a lot of little holes in this story, and you pointed one out with Sano's jealousy. Anyway, this won't be a big story that follows the original storyline. Future AU setting aside, I'm really messing with the timeline. Note Kenshin's age. That means something.

To everyone else, I love you all. Your reviews are helpful and I love to see them.


	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer_: See chapter one.

_Notes_: Now we start to understand the title of this story…

Oh, and to Aryanne, Katsura is from the OVA/Revenge Arc of the manga. In the original story he recruited Kenshin to be the hitokiri that we all know and love to torture… er, love.

_Warnings_: Some violence. References to Monopoly. MUCH shorter chapter.

Onward!

Broken Rules 

The conflict had been consuming him. He had to leave. He _knew_ he had to leave. With Saitou so close, threatening to throw him in jail--or worse--he was desperate to leave. Then Sano had thrown out some unusual questions, confusing his desires with necessity, and he stayed. One more night, he had thought. One more night was fine.

Kaoru was confusing him. One minute she was cheerfully offering him coffee, and then she was crying. It was a female thing, he decided. Mood swings. He had those on occasion, but less pronounced and fewer bouts of crying. He had not cried in years.

The way Kaoru had clung to him was alarming. The desperation in her grip was far more possessive than it should have been, holding him fast. Had he needed to break the grip, she would have suffered. He had not needed to get away, so he tolerated the hug, grateful when she released him.

Kaoru was out of his league, he knew. She was too naïve, too willing to play the game. The only one who had attempted to break the rules of the game was Sano. If there was anyone worth worrying about, it was him. But he was to be leaving soon so it did not matter.

It was depressing, knowing he would walk out that door and never look back. He had come to accept it as his way of life, but that did not alter his feelings on the matter. All he could do was smile and pretend everything was normal.

It was a game. He was a character on a Monopoly board, dancing past the 'Go to Jail' cards, paying his dues and occasionally getting some of his own when he passed 'Go.' Saitou was waiting for him, holding up his handcuffs, smirking and mocking him.

_Go to Jail. Do Not Pass Go..._

Saitou was the least of his worries now. The game crumpled around him, the pieces thrown in his face with a simple name, shouted so carelessly into the room.

_Katsura..._

Vaguely, he heard the coffee mug break on the floor, roughly coinciding with his back striking the cabinet. His mind went momentarily blank, panic flooding through him followed shortly by a rush of fury.

_How did he find me?!_

It was impossible. Only Saitou knew he was here, and the man would never work with a man like Katsura. A leak in the police department... it was the only explanation. Saitou told someone, he was watched, and they found him. It was incredibly fast, even for Katsura.

"Are you okay?" Kaoru's voice echoed, distorted and barely comprehensible as he stared at her lips, moving with each word. "Watch the glass. I'll get a rag."

He shook his head, hand reaching out, closing around her wrist. Startled, Kaoru looked up at him, blue eyes going wide as she met his rueful stare.

"Ken--"

"I'm sorry," he murmured, then released her. Stepping around the spilled coffee and ceramic shards, he left the kitchen. It was amazing how easily the cold returned.

The few seconds it took to move from the kitchen to the open space which spilled into the foyer felt like an eternity--the eternity preceding judgment day. He had three choices:

He could flee and pray he was swift and clever enough not to get killed in the process. Considering the wide open space between the foyer and any possible exit, the option was unlikely. Only a miracle would get him safely to the fire escape. Even then, he would have the seventeen story decent. The only way he would reach the bottom first was if he jumped, but that would have devastating consequences (namely, he would be a bloody broken smear on the pavement).

Or he could stand in defiance. If he could convince Katsura that he was better off living as he had been, maybe... He doubted it would work. Katsura was set in his ways. He would not easily give in to even the most persuasive argument.

The last option was to go without a fight. It was the most likely choice, seeing as it would end with him still alive. He could always leave again, although he doubted he would be given such an opportunity as he had received the last time.

Then, he had no more time to consider his options because he was in view of the door. Sano looked at him uncertainly, glancing back to the man in the doorway when he saw that Kenshin was ignoring him completely.

_That's not Katsura!_

Kenshin's eyes narrowed, taking in the handsome young man--older than himself, but by no more than a few years... twenty-five at most--in a black, leather trench coat. It hung a little oddly on the right side, but Kenshin had expected that no matter who the visitor. The man's eyes were cold, his mouth curled into an ugly smile as he met Kenshin's impassive stare.

"I knew that would flush you out," the man said, his voice a smooth tenor.

"Who are you?" Kenshin demanded curtly.

"Not that it much matters, but the name's Shishio," the man gave a brief, mocking bow. "I finally get to meet my predecessor."

"You work for Katsura then," Kenshin predicted.

"That's what I'm told," Shishio smirked. "I was also told to bring you in--alive, if possible. But if you put up a fight..." he shrugged, his grin flashing two rows of even white teeth. It was a predator's smile. Kenshin hated him already.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's voice came hesitant behind him. Suddenly aware of his surroundings and the innocent people near him, Kenshin held out his hand to stop her. "What's going--"

"Get back into the kitchen, Miss Kamiya," Kenshin ordered sharply.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sano growled. "Kaoru, don't move--"

"Miss Kamiya," Kenshin interrupted, shooting Sano an icy glare. "The kitchen. Now."

Backing away slowly, Kaoru looked to Sano helplessly. The brown-haired man scowled but nodded toward the kitchen harshly. She retreated.

Eyes dark with visible disappointment, Shishio clucked his tongue and shook his head.

"I'm disappointed," he declared. "I was under the impression that the great Battousai took no hostages."

Kenshin tensed, sensing Sano's shocked stare and trying desperately to ignore it.

"They're not hostages," he murmured, voice taut with displeasure.

"Don't look at me like I _care_," Shishio snorted. "They're nothing. You're my assignment, and unlike _some_, I don't run and hide when things get a little tough."

"Insult me if you wish, but I'm not going anywhere with a second-rate hit man," Kenshin retorted, stepping forward smoothly. Beside him, Cat mewled uncertainly, demanding attention from her human and displeased when he stepped over her.

Shishio's face had lost all traces of humor, his features set in angry lines.

"Second-rate, you say," he growled.

"First rule," Kenshin murmured.

"Don't get caught," Shishio snapped.

"An easy one," Kenshin shrugged, still moving forward. He brushed past Sano, the anxious young man stumbling back to avoid him. Kenshin looked away from the horrified expression. "Rule two."

"You're trying to play with my mind, foolish kid," Shishio grunted. "Rule two is to leave no witnesses."

"Another simple one," Kenshin agreed. "And I don't play, Shishio. You should remember that. I never play."

"Ah," Shishio laughed, sharp and unpleasant. "Rule three. I suppose you want to hear that?"

"Whatever pleases you."

Kenshin stopped walking. He froze, caught in the sights of the dull barrel of a gun. Shishio held it confidently, the brushed black metal difficult to separate from the black leather of his gloves. Kenshin stood passively in the middle of the foyer, looking past the weapon to his so-called predecessor.

"You're the one playing," he decided. "Had you been truly serious about this, you would have shot me already."

"'Preferably alive' was the order, so alive you shall be," Shishio said with a large, cunning grin. "Again, unless you resist. Then, I put a bullet in your leg. I'd like to see you run on that."

Behind them, Sano was at a loss. Shishio's bold address still echoed in his ears--_Battousai_--leaving him confused and angry. Surely the man did not mean Kenshin. Not his Kenshin. No... not 'his' Kenshin, he had to remind himself. He still barely knew the man. Judging by Kenshin's reaction to the nickname he _really_ had no idea who this guy was. If this was true, then Kenshin was--_what had he called it?_--a murderer... of epic proportions. Epic. Like some Homeric tale... only without the heroism. Sano could not believe that the cheerful, mild-mannered man, who went so far as to fold in a game which could have won him Kaoru's shirt, could be such a killer.

But Kenshin was responding to the name. His eyes had been colder than anything Sano had ever encountered when he had entered the foyer minutes before. He spoke to Shishio like he would an unwanted underling, with disdain. He spoke like he actually knew what Shishio was doing, as if he had done it himself.

Sano did not know if he should feel betrayed, frightened, or flat out furious at Kenshin for his lies. It made sense that Kenshin would say nothing involving Battousai (or his past as the infamous killer). Sano would have sent him packing long ago, just before calling the police.

_So that's why Fujita was so hot on antagonizing him..._

It fell into place. Kenshin's distance, the solemn mood of the previous night, Fujita's triumphant grin, and the dangerous men in the foyer. Sano had the feeling that someone was going to die here. He hoped it was not him.

"Still think I'm second-rate?" Shishio asked carelessly.

"You've already broken the rules," Kenshin said, shifting slightly back. Sano saw the movement, as did Shishio. Neither man thought anything of it.

"Frightened, Battousai," Shishio smirked. "You're pulling tricks--"

"_Police! Freeze! Put your hands over your head--_"

Growling furiously, Shishio launched himself into the room. Expecting the move, Kenshin continued to turn, shifting back and reaching out. His left hand closed around the barrel of Shishio's gun, his right moving to block the fist swinging toward his side. Twisting again, the grip was broken, and both men tumbled to the floor.

Sano watched in horrified fascination as the gun clattered across the floor, away from the men tangled together on the linoleum. He had enough sense to kick the weapon further from them, stepping back with his hands up when several men in dark blue uniforms rushed into the room. There were five of them, all pointing their guns at the pair locked in brutal combat not far from the couch.

Kenshin was not winning, Sano noticed with some alarm. The redhead had several disadvantages, the big one (in Sano's opinion) being the considerable difference in size and his subsequent lighter weight. He was struggling violently, his blows doing nothing to break the hold Shishio had around his neck.

"Still think you're better, Battousai?" Shishio snarled, sneering though Kenshin's eyes were clamped tightly shut.

A startled murmur rose through the police officers, and they hesitated, not knowing who they were after.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sano demanded. "Why are you just standing there?"

"The kid's got a point," Fujita's voice flowed easily over the din of the confused police officers and the skirmish in the foyer. "Break it apart!"

Tucking their guns back into their holsters, three officers rushed forward. Shishio snarled at them, refusing to relent his hold on Kenshin. Rapidly losing his hold on consciousness, Kenshin reached out blindly. Sensing a call for help, an officer reached back, only to be pulled into the fight. Fujita cursed in outright disgust as his man yelped and toppled onto Shishio.

Sano was not sure when it happened, but when Kenshin staggered to his feet, there was a gun in his hand.

"Son of a bitch," Fujita muttered, stalking forward into the mess. Shishio was having a difficult enough time with four officers attempting to subdue him. Fujita disregarded him, instead catching Kenshin's wrist in an iron grip. "You really don't want to do that, Battousai."

Coughing painfully, Kenshin did not protest the loss of his newly found weapon. He staggered, half collapsing against the irritable officer as Fujita yanked his arms behind his back.

"You know the drill," Fujita growled. "Right to remain silent and all that shit. So just keep your damn mouth shut, and we'll all be better off for it."

Wheezing, scrambling to remain on his feet, Kenshin looked up at Fujita warily. A slow smile suddenly lightened his features, though his eyes remained dead.

"You finally caught up with me," he murmured, the sound rasping and far from the usually pleasant drone. "Thank God."

"Thank Him once you're behind bars, idiot," Fujita snapped. He glared over his shoulder at the men who were still trying to detain Shishio. The man had a deadly gleam in his eyes as he twisted and wrenched free of every hold the officers managed to get. "Just knock him out, you idiots."

Sano winced in sympathy as Shishio finally succumbed to a brutal blow to the back of his skull. Surely that was not legal--police brutality and the likes. Even so, he was grateful when the man finally went limp.

He looked to Fujita, who retained his steel grip around Kenshin's arm.

"How'd you know?" he asked blankly.

"Ask your friend," Fujita grumbled, glancing to the officers standing uncertainly over Shishio's prone form. "Do I have to do everything myself? Put him in handcuffs and take him away!"

Kenshin glanced up, meeting Sano's accusing glare briefly before looking away again.

"There's a phone in the kitchen," he said hoarsely. "Miss Kamiya called the police."

"The fundamental difference between Battousai and that idiot," Fujita casually lifted a cigarette to his lips. "There were rules."

"Rule three..." Kenshin murmured. "Get in and out as quickly as possible... no matter what the results."

"Had their positions been reversed, this fool would have been dead before he could blink," Fujita lifted a lighter to the cigarette.

"Captain Fujita, don't you _dare_ light that in my apartment!" Kaoru's caustic rebuke made the officer flinch. "And just _what_ are you doing to Kenshin?"

"And you and the girl would have been dead shortly after," Fujita finished, glancing to Kaoru. "You've been housing a wanted criminal, Kamiya. I'm arresting him."

"Kenshin is no criminal!" Kaoru asserted, crossing her arms immovably.

"It's all right, Miss Kamiya," Kenshin shifted, standing straighter. To Sano's astonishment, he turned a bright smile on the girl, suddenly all warmth and kindness. "Let Captain Fujita do his job. Will you do me a favor while I'm away?"

"A favor?" Kaoru echoed, looking at the man with hurt in her eyes.

"Don't let Cat go hungry."

"Enough talk," Fujita grumbled. "Even my incompetent officers have taken the other guy out of here. Get moving, Battousai."

"Whatever you say, Saitou."

Fujita shoved him toward the door, leaving behind two overwhelmed people and one unhappy cat. Kenshin stumbled once, then picked up his pace and walked easily before the officer. They did not stop until they reached the elevator. Slapping the 'down' button, Fujita turned to glare at Kenshin threateningly.

"Call me that in front of anyone else, and I will shoot you myself," he said with quiet resolution.

"You can't shoot me, remember?" Kenshin lifted his eyebrows in mock innocence. "You're a cop. Unless I threaten you or someone else, you'll get in trouble."

"Don't think I won't do it," Fujita replied icily.

"I'm going to prison, Saitou," Kenshin said calmly. "How many people have I killed? Seventy? A hundred?"

"You didn't keep count?" Fujita snorted.

"One hundred seventeen," Kenshin said softly. "Think that's an easy thing to live with? Why do you think you haven't heard tales of Battousai in so many years? Surely, you did not think I had just gone rogue. I have done many terrible things, but I always followed the rules."

"What are you getting at?" Fujita glanced at the elevator light--not illuminated--and silently cursed the slow climb of the ancient machine.

"It's over," Kenshin rubbed his wrists absently. Fujita scowled at the metal bracelets dangling from Kenshin's fingers. "You will always be Hajime Saitou, CIA operative... gone rogue yourself, I notice. Hiding under an assumed name no less."

"Mr. _Lee_," Fujita intoned scornfully.

"So you see the problem you have," Kenshin pressed the handcuffs into Fujita's hand purposefully. The captain's hand clenched around them furiously, not moving to block Kenshin's hand as the short man calmly unhooked the flap on his holster and claimed the gun. Behind Kenshin, the elevator dinged softly, the doors sliding open. He glanced into the elevator before looking back to Fujita. "Do we have an agreement?"

"This is blackmail," Fujita hissed.

"Call it what you will."

Stepping into the elevator, Fujita turned and pointed at Kenshin grimly.

"Slip up," he said softly. "Kill anyone else, and you're a dead man."

"Fair enough," Kenshin smiled and reached around the door, pressing the circle marked 'L.' It lit up a soft yellow, and Kenshin stepped back, lifting his newly acclaimed weapon in insolent salute. "Good-bye, Saitou."

"Go to hell, Battousai," Fujita finally lit his cigarette, glaring at Kenshin as the doors hitched shut.

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Kenshin turned and leaned back against the wall beside the elevator. Glancing once at the gun in his hand, he pushed himself forward and moved slowly down the hall.

Sano and Kaoru stood dumbly in the center of the foyer, neither knowing what to say or how to react. It had happened so quickly. One minute Kenshin was there, the next he was being led away in handcuffs.

"Battousai," Kaoru whispered.

"Yeah," Sano sighed.

"Wow... that's... really something."

"Yeah." Kaoru glanced at Sano, her eyes huge with shock.

"We never knew."

"...Yeah."

"Would you say something more useful?" Kaoru glared at him with sudden vehemence. "Kenshin can't possibly be that killer! He's too kind! He's too sweet! Too--too..."

"Too good an actor."

"Jesus!" Sano jerked, arm swinging up to shove Kaoru behind him. Startled brown eyes turned to the doorway where the man they had just seen leave with Fujita stood quietly. Sano's gaze shifted down to the gun in Kenshin's hand. His mouth went dry. "You killed him."

"No," Kenshin looked down to the gun in his hand, held so easily. "We came to an understanding."

"You threatened him, then," Sano growled.

"Let's just say we both know a little too much about each other," Kenshin stepped into the apartment, shutting the door gently behind him. "Now... technically, you both know too much as well."

"K-Kenshin?" Kaoru asked tremulously. She could not believe this was the same man who held her less than an hour before as she cried for him. "Are you going to kill us?"

"Saitou wasn't lying," Kenshin shook his head slowly. He kept his eyes on the floor, his hand clenching around the weapon the only sign of tension. "Six years ago... I would have been the man pointing the gun. And if you had been around to see it, I would have killed you too. That's how it worked. They said go kill a person, so I went and killed the man and anyone else who was unlucky enough to see it happen."

"Oh god..." Kaoru breathed. Sano felt her shaking, fear visible in her eyes, white all around the blue irises.

"I could give you a hundred excuses for my actions, but they all ring hollow," Kenshin continued, his voice a steady monotone. "I'm sorry."

Sano tensed, pushing Kaoru back further as Kenshin lifted the gun. He choked back a gasp as the man grabbed the weapon with his other hand, yanking the gun apart. Kenshin's hands opened, and the dismantled gun clattered to the floor in resounding finality.

Eiji was particularly annoying that day. The boy was bored, trapped in a house with only his grandparents for company. Fujita sympathized. One could take only so many games of Bridge. Black and white films were all well and good, but Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn were strangers to the nine-year-old. If the old farts pulled out the old spaghetti westerns, Fujita was going to have to take drastic measures.

His week had not gone at all as planned. It started so promising, that art student bringing up the name of the much coveted prey. Some planning, clever manipulation, a confident confrontation, and finally an arrest had been the projected outcome. He forgot one vital bit of information:

Kenshin had not been acting as Battousai for six years.

Six years was enough time to change, Fujita knew. It was plenty of time to alter his identity completely. Although he looked almost exactly the same, if a bit more pale and thin, Kenshin was not the same man he had been before.

For that matter, neither was Fujita. Six years ago, he would never have allowed such a heinous invasion on his property. That hateful woman who had breached the security of his home stood in the middle of the living room, glaring down at him as if he was a crushed bug on the hardwood floor.

"All you ever do is sit around on your butt, Goro," she said, voice shrill and thoroughly unpleasant. "I'll bet you do the same in your office. The police are never good for anything. You couldn't even stop that robbery we all heard about on the news."

Glaring at the witch in his living room, Fujita sorely wished he could return to the identity with which Kenshin had threatened him. Hajime Saitou would kill that woman where she stood. Instead, he looked away from her, glaring moodily out the window at the gray, rainy day.

Even that man they had arrested was useless. Shishio. It was another code name, Fujita knew. Like Battousai he simply did not exist in any records. There was nothing on him--no birth certificate, no social security number, no match up in the fingerprint records. He had no identification on him whatsoever. He just gave his name as Shishio and demanded to see a lawyer. Of course he would never see the inside of a jail cell. His crime was attempted murder--of a person who did not exist.

Fujita cursed, earning another glare from the mother in-law from hell.

Years of searching. _Years_. All swirling down like so much toilet water.

_Notes_: I almost put that last section in the next chapter… it fits here, I guess. Poor Saitou was merely the comic relief. Sorry if the fight scene seemed a little short, but I was going more for realism than wham-bam in-your-face spectacular fight scene.

Next chapter: Rainy day gloom. The AU takes us on a path perhaps different from the one you've come to expect.

Sorry! No Omake for this one. Check out the Omake from a deleted scene next chapter.

Reviewers:

…Some of you always manage to shock me. Excuse me while I wander off to be puzzled and not a small bit frightened.


	7. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer_: See chapter one.

_Notes_: Look. Here it is. I actually put it up. Cheer. Read. Don't be too depressed. Oh, and on the off chance that this thing actually does post the story under Maeniel, that's my new official screen name. Read the bio for explanations.

_Warnings_: Er…short chapter?

Onward!

Broken Rules 

It was raining, just like the day when they met. Sano, Kaoru, and Katsu huddled under a single umbrella, watching the passengers as they loaded their belongings onto the train stopped just outside the Amtrak station. Several feet away, Kenshin stood, rainwater soaking into his clothes, draining down his hair and neck. Large drops of the clear liquid slid down his face, dripping from his already drenched bangs, offering the illusion of tears. He was not crying.

He did not thank Kaoru for paying for his train ticket. In spite of his reservations, he did not ask Katsu to give up his pictures, nor did he seek to destroy them himself. He did not confront Sano with his ambivalence regarding their brief friendship. He was the interloper, soon to be expunged from their contented lives.

"Last call," a woman in heels and a skirt told him gently, bringing his attention back to the present. Kenshin nodded and shifted his bag to rest more comfortably on his shoulder.

"I'll take care of Cat while you're gone," Kaoru said, her soft voice barely carrying through the rain.

"Thank you."

They both knew he would not be returning.

"Thanks for the pictures," Katsu called.

Kenshin nodded. He waited. Rain rushing to meet the ground was the only other thing he heard. Stepping forward, he gripped the handrail and pulled himself up onto the lowest step of the train.

The other passengers offered him disgusted glances before ignoring him as he made his way to his seat. They all hoped they would not be paired with the dripping young man holding nothing more than a backpack. Kenshin was just as grateful to be seated alone.

The platform outside the train station was deserted when he looked out the window. Closing his eyes against the all too familiar pain in his chest, he rested his forehead against the cool glass.

It was always the same. He should have known better. He always should have known better. How he had gotten so attached to these people over the course of a week was still a mystery. He wished he had never chased Cat to the trunk of that beat up Chevy. His throat constricted at the very notion of having never met Sano or Katsu or Kaoru.

The moving train jostled him, and he pulled away from the window before he could crack his forehead against it. He would just have to move on... to keep searching. Someday he would find a place where he belonged. Until then, he would continue to move from place to place, leaving everything behind no matter how he felt about it. Strange how only after he left behind the life of killing that he started breaking rules regularly.

Rubbing his cheek absently, rough fingers barely able to feel the smooth scar tissue versus healthy skin, Kenshin stared out the window, through the water weeping down the glass.

_Rule four... keep no emotional attachments._

FIN

_Notes_: This is the end. That's it. Kenshin leaves and never comes back. Because what was implied and I hope you all figured out was that Kenshin was still the shadow assassin, but he was not a war hero. I won't write it, but anyone could, that Kenshin killed for the government, but no one knew about it for the reason that if he was caught he would never be traced back, thereby averting any political scandal.

Yes, there's another chapter, but that was written to make myself feel less depressed. In fact, I think it fairly ruins the story, but you can read it if you want. Just consider it an extra/alternate ending written by another of my writing personalities.

But for a little cheer, check out the outtake from a deleted scene:

(Explanation—I wrote the Shishio scene dozens of times, several of those times Katsura actually making an appearance rather than Shishio. This is the result of one of those times.)

Omake from a deleted scene

**Kenshin**: _holding Katsura at gunpoint_ Very good... now hand over your wallet.

**Katsura**: _blink_ You're robbing me?

**Kenshin**: That's right, I'm a penniless traveler. How else do you expect me to get any cash? Hand over the wallet.

**Sano**: _facevault_

**Katsura**: _sighs and pulls out wallet_

**Sano**: Are you really going to rob him!

**Kenshin**: Yep. Hey... a company Visa.

**Katsura and Sano**: _sweatdrop_


	8. Chapter 7 aka The Weakling's Ending

_Disclaimer_: See chapter one.

_Notes_: Weaklings. Don't read this.

_Warnings_: You might take some of this as shounen ai. (Well, the story _was_ originally written for a Yaoi contest.) You don't really have to take it that way if you don't want to.

Onward!

Broken Rules… A happier ending 

For the faint of heart, an alternate ending...

_Rule four... keep no emotional attachments._

"Is this seat taken?"

Barely registering the question, Kenshin opened his eyes. The nap had been brief, and he was surprised he had not woken until after the train stopped. He was usually more aware of his surroundings.

Nodding somberly, he glanced up to tell the person disturbing him that the seat was taken. The ticket should have given the newcomer a designated seat anyway.

He was met with raised eyebrows and skeptical brown eyes beneath a fall of unruly brown hair. It startled him, but he could not bring himself to return the man's slow smile. Eyebrows lowering anxiously, he turned back to the window. Sano took the seat next to him, a noisy, intrusive presence.

"You like living alone?" Sano asked, his voice low, mindful of the other passengers.

Shaking his head wearily, Kenshin twisted in his seat to consider the young man who had followed him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, forthright. Sano grinned, rubbing the back of neck sheepishly.

"Well... I was thinking about things," he murmured. "And I thought about some of the things you said last week-about homes. That's what you're looking for, isn't it?"

Kenshin stared at him dumbly, mouth opening to respond though no sound reached his throat. Shrugging, Sano leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head comfortably.

"I'm just the outcast anyway," he said. "And damned if I don't find you interesting... so here I am. I'm following you. Consider me your own personal sidekick-or stalker, if you like."

Chuckling softly, Kenshin shook his head.

"You're a strange man, Sanosuke," he decided.

"If we're going to hang out, you might as well call me Sano," came the easy reply.

"Very well... Sano..." Kenshin smiled faintly. "Just one thing, before you start following me like a loyal puppy."

"You calling me a dog?" Sano snorted.

"When you... kissed me the other night-"

"I said I was sorry about that," Sano scowled.

"Don't be," Kenshin waved off his apology. "Just don't think I'm easy prey."

Sano's scowl gave way to a bold smirk.

"Is that an invitation?"

"Let's take things one day at a time," Kenshin smiled, the bright, cheerful grin of their first encounter. Sano blinked, then returned the smile.

"So I agree not to push you," he countered. "And you won't shoot anyone else."

"Actually, I rarely used a gun," Kenshin sighed. "If it's all the same to you, let's not discuss that."

"If I can travel with you, I can live with that," Sano flung his arm out, startling the smaller man as he leaned against him in poor imitation of an embrace. Kenshin sighed.

"Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into, Sano?" he wondered.

"Nope!"

"Good. You'd surely go running if you did."

"Now you're calling me a chicken."

"With that hair..."

_Notes_: Gag. What a cheesy ending. Must everything end happily ever after? Granted, I prefer those happy endings, but this story needed a more melancholy feeling end. Don't know why, but it did. Whatever.


End file.
